Balinor's Sons
by Livin4Jesus
Summary: AU. When Arthur was born Ygraine didn't die and magic was never outlawed. However, an evil sorcerer seeking revenge against Uther, vows to exact vengeance by taking the life of the prince. Fearing for his son's life and in an effort to protect him, Uther entrusts the child to his best friend Balinor who takes the child and flees to the little village of Ealdor. No Slash. Bromance.
1. Prologue

**A/N This is my first Merlin fic so any help or advice is much appreciated. **

**In**** case any of you are wondering the villain's name is pronounced (az-ree-all). Just one of those useless and unnecessary facts. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this or any other awesome TV shows (or any TV shows period awesome or otherwise). And if I did own Merlin it would not be ending with season 5 and I would not have to wait months after season 5 originally aired before I can see it.**

**Parts in _italics_ at the beginning, middle, and end are what is going on at the moment, everything else is one big flashback.**

**Prologue**

_Balinor stole through the night, an infant clutched to his chest as he sneaked out of the castle and toward the forest. He could hardly believe the circumstances of the past few hours that led to his flight from Camelot with the young prince asleep in his arms._

**)()()(**

King Uther paced the length of the throne room and back for what had to be the millionth time.

"Uther will you please sit down you're driving me mad," Balinor told his friend as he paced by... again.

Uther stopped pacing and looked up at his old friend. He sighed and sat in the chair next to his dragonlord and court sorcerer and began drumming his fingers on the table.

"Look, it's going to be fine," Balinor assured. "Ygraine is strong. It'll all be fine and in just a little while you'll be the proud father of a strong, young boy."

Uther smirked as he remembered how Balinor had maintained that the child would be a boy ever since they found out Ygraine was expecting. Every time he asked his friend how he could be so sure the dragonlord would simply reply that he 'just knew.' At first it irritated Uther to no end but then it became a sort of joke between them.

The fond memories made Uther relax just a bit and he gave the dragonlord a grateful smile.

_If Balinor isn't worried then I shouldn't be either,_ Uther thought.

"Thank you, my friend," the king said sincerely and they both knew the king wasn't just talking about Balinor's reassuring words.

The dragonlord smiled and a moment of complete understanding passed between the two men before they lapsed into a silence broken only by the sound of the king's fingers drumming on the table.

Balinor had always been able to lift Uther's spirits. The two men had grown up together and had always been inseparable. They were closer than just friends, they were more like brothers and indeed both viewed the other as their brother in every way but blood and they trusted each other completely. They were so close, in fact, that years ago when Uther became king he officially adopted Balinor as his brother thus making him a member of the royal family.

The dragonlord's official title was Prince Balinor though he hardly used it. He didn't care for power or titles, the fact that he was not only Uther's brother in spirit but was so legally as well, was all that mattered to him and if that made him a prince then so be it. The one thing Balinor hadn't been too happy about was the fact that Uther had also put him into the line of succession regardless of Balinor's protests. Balinor didn't want the throne, he was more than happy to be Uther's adviser and court sorcerer but the king would have none of it. He reasoned that if Balinor had been born his brother then Balinor would be in line to become king should Uther die. So the king had made him heir to the throne even though Balinor hated it. Uther secretly suspected that this was one of the reasons Balinor was hoping for a boy, because if Uther were to have a son then Balinor would not be the heir apparent anymore which was more than fine as far as the dragonlord was concerned. But regardless of whether it was a girl or boy Uther just hoped the child was strong and healthy.

The two men sat in silence for a few more minutes, Uther completely lost in his thoughts, before Balinor reached his wits end and grabbed the king's hand.

"If you really want to thank me you will stop doing that," Balinor said exasperated.

Uther looked at his hand only just then realizing that he had been drumming his fingers on the table top for the last ten minutes.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he removed his hand from the table and crossed his arms.

"King Uther who laughs in the face of fear, can fell a hundred foes, and who quakes in the face of childbirth," Balinor said in another attempt to lighten the mood and get his friend's mind off of his worries.

"You just wait until you have a child," Uther shot back thankful for the distraction.

"Don't you think I should probably find a woman and get married first?" Balinor asked with a wry smirk.

"Oh, shut up," Uther snapped but the twinkle in his eye undermined his 'I am king you must do as I say' tone and Balinor just laughed as Uther reached over and playfully shoved him.

Just then the throne room doors opened and Gaius walked in. Both men leapt to their feet expectantly.

"Congratulations Sire! You have a son," Gaius answered the unspoken question.

"I told you so," Balinor said laughing happily.

Uther looked at Balinor his whole face lighting up as a smile split his face.

"Congratulations my friend!" Balinor exclaimed as he clapped his king on the shoulder. "Now go. See your son."

Uther smiled brightly at his friend before turning and walking out of the throne room.

Once he was gone Balinor turned to Gaius and allowed the worry he had hidden from his friend to show.

"Gaius is everything all right? The boy? The queen?"

Gaius smiled softly at his concern.

"Everything is fine my friend. The queen is tired but that is to be expected and the child is a fine, strong, and healthy boy."

Balinor sighed in relief and let a genuine smile spread across his face.

"Come. I'll bet the proud father wishes to show off his boy," Balinor said and he and Gaius walked out of the throne room and turned in the direction Uther had taken minutes before.

They arrived at Queen Ygraine's chambers and Balinor knocked softly before entering the room. Queen Ygraine sat in bed the king sitting beside her holding a small bundle in his arms. They both looked up to see their friend in the doorway.

"Balinor," Ygraine said smiling. "Come in. Come in."

Uther stood up and walked forward as Balinor entered the room. Balinor stood in front of the king and looked down at the sleeping prince a huge smile spreading across his face.

"He's perfect. I'm so happy for you both," Balinor said squeezing his friend's shoulder.

"You want to hold him?" Ygraine asked.

Balinor's smile fell from his suddenly pale face.

"No, no. That's alright. Maybe later," he said a little too quickly.

Uther laughed at the look on his friend's face.

"Balinor, the mighty sorcerer who can bring down an army with a few words, who's friends with and can command fierce dragons, and who is afraid to hold an infant," Uther laughed as his friend glared at him.

"He's not going to break, Balinor. Just hold him the same way Uther is," Ygraine said.

Balinor studied the way the king was holding the child a moment before Uther held the child out to him and laid the boy in the uneasy dragonlord's arms.

Balinor stood as still as a statue as he held the small bundle. After a moment the sleeping boy snuggled into Balinor's chest and grabbed a tiny handful of his tunic. A huge grin lit up the dragonlord's face as he slowly relaxed.

"I think he likes me," he said not looking away from the sweet face.

Uther and Ygraine shared a happy and content smile as they watched their friend with their son.

"He'd better like you. It wouldn't do for him to not like his Uncle Balinor," Uther said casually.

Balinor continued to look at the prince a few moments before Uther's words registered and his head snapped up so fast the king and queen were surprised he didn't hurt himself.

"What?" he asked staring at his two friends, sure that he had heard wrong.

Uther couldn't hold in a laugh at the look on the man's face.

"You heard me, my friend. You are my brother in spirit as well as legally. That makes you his uncle in every way that could possibly matter."

The biggest smile that they had ever seen split Balinor's face.

"Uncle Balinor," he said experimentally. "I like it."

"Good, because we weren't really giving you a choice in the matter," Uther said matter of fact.

Balinor smiled at his friend and king and suddenly all of his joy bubbled up and came out in the form of a deep laugh of pure happiness. After a moment Uther and Ygraine joined in and the three friends reveled in the moment together.

**)()()(**

_Balinor blinked back tears at the happy memory. The three of them had been so happy and free only to have it all ripped apart in an instant._

**)()()(**

"Sire?" a servant said as they tentatively entered the room.

"Yes, what is it?" Uther asked looking up.

"Sire there is a man here who wishes to see you," the servant replied.

Uther heaved a sigh and began to leave when Balinor stopped him.

"I'll go," he said. "You stay here with your wife and son."

Balinor held the child out to the king who took him with a grateful look.

"Thank you," he said.

Balinor nodded to him and left the room. He followed the servant into the throne room where a hooded figure stood with his back to him.

"Can I help you?" Balinor asked.

"Yes," an oily voice said. "I think you can."

The man turned around and threw his hood back. Balinor sucked in a sharp breath his eyes widening as he instantly recognized the man.

"Azrial," Balinor gasped.

Azrial was an evil sorcerer who along with his brother had tried to overtake a neighboring kingdom a few years before by kidnapping one of the king's sons. Uther and Balinor had gone to the neighboring king's aid and had stopped Azrial's plot and rescued the boy but only just barely. Both men had been injured and nearly killed in the process and as such the sorcerer had escaped capture. Azrial blamed them for his failure as well as the death of his evil conspiring brother and just before he disappeared he vowed to exact revenge against Uther and Balinor. Now he was back, and bold enough to walk right into the throne room of Camelot, and Balinor was afraid of what that might mean.

"Oh good. You remember me," Azrial's said with a wicked smirk.

"What do you want?" Balinor asked regaining his composure.

"You know what I want," Azrial said just before he muttered a few words under his breath and his eyes flashed red.

Balinor had just enough time to put up a shield before the massive blood red fireball barreled into him. His eyes flashing gold, Balinor pushed his hand toward his opponent and the evil sorcerer was sent flying backward and crashing into the big oak table behind him.

Azrial got to his feet and sent another fireball shooting at the dragonlord who blocked it before being forced to leap to the side as yet another fiery blast sought to take his life. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet muttering a spell as he did so. A flash of lightning struck out toward Azrial but the vile man deflected it and sent two more fireballs careening toward Balinor. Some distant part of Balinor's mind noted that fireballs seemed to be Azrial's weapon of choice as Balinor's eyes flashed gold again and a wave of water appeared out of nowhere and doused the flames.

The two sorcerers continued to send all manner of attacks at each other as they ran and dodged around the now ragged looking throne room. As Azrial saw that his fireballs weren't proving effective he began to throw more flashy and elaborate spells at Balinor but ironically it was actually one of those fireballs that got the dragonlord.

Balinor was focused on blocking several chairs that Azrial had sent flying at him when out of the corner of his eye he saw movement and turned to see a huge red fireball flying right for him. He leapt sideways but wasn't quite fast enough. The fireball caught him on his shoulder and sent him flying into the wall behind him his head slamming against the thick stones. He slid down the wall to lie in a crumpled heap on the floor. Balinor's head swam and his vision blurred as he looked at the evil sorcerer approaching him. He tried to sit up but pain flared in his left shoulder and he dropped back to the floor with a hiss.

Azrial stalked toward him and loomed over the injured dragonlord.

"I could kill you right now," Azrial said hatred dripping from his voice. "But that is not why I came here and I want you to die slowly and painfully and I don't have the time for that right now. I will have to get my revenge on you later. Perhaps when I have achieved my objective I will return for you."

He turned and walked toward the door just before he left the room he stopped and spoke one last sentence over his shoulder to the dragonlord.

"I think I will congratulate the king on his happy news."

Balinor's blood turned to ice.

_The Prince!_

With a monumental effort, Balinor forced himself to his feet and staggered after the evil madman. He was not going to let that monster hurt his nephew.

**)()()(**

Uther, Ygraine, and Gaius talked softly as the prince slept in the queen's arms. Balinor had been gone about thirty minutes and had yet to return but none of them were worried. If there was something serious going on Balinor would have alerted the king so they all figured that whatever matter Balinor was attending to was routine and mundane.

They did not know just how wrong they were.

As it was, they were all expecting their friend back any minute so none were alarmed by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall followed by the door opening a moment later. But all of the blood drained out of Uther's face when he looked to see not his best friend but a very dangerous enemy standing just inside the door.

"Hello, Uther Pendragon," Azrial said with a evil smile.

Uther shot to his feet.

"How did you get in here?" he demanded hiding the fear in his voice with anger.

Azrial ignored the question and continued speaking.

"I thought when someone asked to see the king they actually saw the king, not his pet dragonlord," Azrial said offhandedly.

The implications of his statement were not lost on the others in the room.

"If you've hurt him-" Uther began to threaten him but Azrial cut him off.

"You'll do what?" he spat. "If that miserable excuse for a sorcerer couldn't stop me what makes you think you can?"

"What do you want?" Uther asked trying to ignore the fact that the sorcerer was right. If Azrial wanted to do something, Uther wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Finally a pertinent question," he said with a smirk. "I've come to take my revenge. You killed my brother and you must pay."

"You and your brother tried to take over a kingdom by kidnapping an innocent twelve year old boy," Uther replied angrily.

"You are still responsible for his death!" Azrial shouted before smirking and returning to his softer tone once again. "And as I said you must pay, and pay you will, with your son's life."

**)()()(**

Balinor all but ran down the hallway bouncing off the walls as he staggered and struggled to remain on his feet. He couldn't afford to slow down or fall. That would mean failure and he could not fail. Not this time. As his vision swam sickeningly and fiery pain screamed in his shoulder Balinor dimly wondered when this hallway had gotten so long.

Finally after what seemed like years the door he was seeking came into view and he threw himself toward it praying that he wasn't too late. He reached the door just in time to hear Azrial speak.

"...and pay you will, with your son's life."

Balinor fell against the door frame and looked into the room to see Azrial muttering something and holding out a hand toward Uther and Gaius who were trying to shield Ygraine and the crying child in her arms.

"NO!" Balinor screamed as a blood red fireball flew from Azrial's hand and straight for his friends but the fireball never finished it's task as with a flash of gold all four of them were enveloped in a light blue shield that stopped the fireball in it's tracks.

Uther, Ygraine, and Gaius were prepared for fiery pain and death but it never came instead they felt a peace and safety that Uther instantly recognized as Balinor and he knew the dragonlord was using his magic to protect them. They watched as the fireball slammed into a light blue barrier about a foot from them and dissipated without so much as any heat getting through.

Azrial roared in anger and whirled around to glare at Balinor.

"I thought I took care of you," Azrial said angrily.

"Not quite," Balinor said with a small smile.

"No matter," Azrial said waving a hand through the air. "I will simply finish what I started with you then take care of the _prince_," he spat the last word like a curse.

"I will never let you harm him," Balinor said deadly serious.

"And just how do you propose to stop me?" Azrial asked skeptically.

Balinor smirked. Fortunately he had a backup plan.

He threw his head back and began speaking an ancient language in a strange and deep voice. After a moment he stopped speaking and looked back at Azrial.

"Tell me Azrial. Do you think you are good enough to fight off two dragons?"

Balinor smiled triumphantly at the fear he saw in Azrial's eyes at the mention of the fierce creatures. Azrial may be powerful but he couldn't fight off even one dragon by himself let alone two.

"This is not over!" he screamed in outrage. "There is nowhere in this kingdom that he is safe. I will have the boy's life and I will not stop until he is dead."

With that, Azrial disappeared leaving Uther, Ygraine, Gaius, Balinor, and a screaming baby in the room.

The shield around the physician and the royals flickered out as Balinor slid down the door frame and sat exhausted and bleeding on the floor, his eyes slipping shut as pain and fatigue overtook him.

"Balinor!" Uther cried as he rushed to his injured friend and crouched down beside him. His face clouded with worry as he took in the dragonlord's injuries.

Balinor's shoulder was burned and blistered with blood oozing from the angry wound and he had a gash on his forehead that was bleeding freely.

"Balinor?" he asked as he gently laid a hand on his uninjured shoulder.

"I'm all right," he mumbled tiredly, his eyes remaining shut.

Uther sighed and leaned his forehead against Balinor's, a gesture dating back to when they were boys.

"Thank you," he breathed.

Balinor reached a shaky hand up and squeezed his friend's arm in reply.

Uther looked up to see Gaius crouch down on Balinor's other side and begin to assess his injuries.

"What happened?" Uther asked.

Balinor opened his eyes and looked at Uther as he began to fill him in.

"I went to the throne room to see the man that had asked for you but when I got there it was Azrial. He attacked and and I was forced to fight him," Balinor grimaced remembering the state of the throne room. "Uh, speaking of that. Um, don't go into the throne room for a little while. All right?"

Uther simply closed his eyes and shook his head. Balinor was so much like a younger brother sometimes.

"Anyway, we fought for a while until he caught me off guard and one of his fireballs got me in the shoulder and slammed me into the wall. Then when he started to leave he said he wanted to 'congratulate you on your good news' and I knew he was going after the boy. So I got up and somehow got here in time to stop him but it was only the threat of the dragons that got him. He will be back," Balinor stated looking Uther in the eye.

"I know," Uther growled at the thought of his son in danger.

Gaius whispered a few words, his eyes flashing gold, and Balinor's shoulder wound healed up. Then he proceeded to do the same with the gash on the dragonlord's forehead. In a matter of minutes Balinor's wounds were gone and he felt much better if still a bit tired. Uther took his arm and helped him to his feet where he leaned unsteadily against the wall a moment before straightening and addressing the king once again.

"Uther we must do something. Azrial will be back and I don't know if I can stop him the next time," the dragonlord said.

"I know, and there's certainly nothing I can do," Uther said irritated by the fact that he couldn't protect his family from this threat.

"Sire, might I make a suggestion?" Gaius asked.

"Of course Gaius," Uther replied.

"I think we need to get the boy out of the kingdom and hide him somewhere safe until Azrial is caught," Gaius stated.

Uther thought about it a moment. He was loath to send his son away but he knew Gaius was right. His son could not stay there, it was just too dangerous. If he was hidden, perhaps in a village a ways from here, in a place Azrial wouldn't think to look then he might be safe. He turned to look at his wife and he could see she had reached the same conclusion.

"You're right," Uther said turning back to Gaius. "He is not safe here. We must have someone take him and hide him where Azrial won't find him. Somewhere where no one could possibly know or recognize him as a prince."

He looked at Ygraine who had tears running down her face and she nodded knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"Balinor. Take my son somewhere safe and protect him," he said turning back to his friend.

Balinor was shocked and unable to speak for a moment.

"B-but," he swallowed thickly. "But surly there is someone else. A better choice besides me."

"Balinor," Uther said placing his hands on Balinor's shoulders before continuing sadly. "I cannot protect my son. You are the only one who is even remotely capable of that and if I cannot protect him myself you are the only other man I would trust him with. You are my brother and I know you will take care of him."

Balinor swallowed around the lump in his throat and tamped down his panic at being entrusted with something so terribly important.

"I will protect him with my life, Sire. He will be safe with me. I promise," he vowed with every fiber of his being.

"I know he will," Uther replied.

"Sire," Gaius spoke up. "You need to realize that the child cannot return until Azrial is captured and that may not happen right away. Azrial is smart and powerful," he hesitated before finishing what needed to be said, "and it could take years to catch him."

Uther took a deep breath blinking back tears as he absorbed the new information. After a moment he turned and spoke to Balinor once again.

"In that case, you will have to raise him. And you will have to raise him as your own so as to divert suspicion," he glanced at Ygraine yet again and she nodded through her tears once more. "And you mustn't tell him who he really is."

Balinor's eyes widened. "But he deserves to know of his parents. You deserve for him to know."

"It is for his own protection. The less he knows of his true origins the safer he'll be. There will be time for him to know of us once we are rid of Azrial. And it may not even come to that. Hopefully we will catch that monster and have you both back within a few days," Uther said.

Balinor wanted to believe he was right but he had a feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy. Something was telling him he wasn't going to see his home or his family again for many years.

"There is a place I know of outside of Camelot where I believe he will be safe. I will take him there," Balinor said at length.

"Where?" Gaius asked.

"No, don't tell us," Uther cut in. "It is safer for you both if no one else knows."

Balinor nodded.

The king looked him in the eye a moment more before embracing the younger man. A few tears ran down both men's faces as they were forced to acknowledge that this would probably be the last time they saw each other for several years.

"I will miss you, my brother," Uther whispered into Balinor's ear.

"And I you," Balinor replied.

They released each other and Uther walked over to Ygraine.

"Goodbye, my son," she whispered then kissed her son on the forehead before passing him to Uther.

As Uther held his son for the last time Balinor walked over and took Ygraine's hand and pressed a kiss to it.

"I hope to see you both soon," Ygraine said to her friend.

"As do I," he replied.

Balinor turned to his friend once more who took one last look at his son and passed him into the arms of his brother.

Balinor and Uther shared one last look. No words were spoken. They didn't need any. A world of communication passed between them. All of the things they just couldn't put into words were conveyed in that one look. Then Balinor nodded and turned toward the door.

"Goodbye, Gaius," he said as he passed the physician.

"Goodbye, my friend," the physician replied.

Balinor strode to the door and was almost out of the room when he stopped and turned back to look at Uther again.

"What did you name him?" he asked only just then realizing that he didn't know the child's name.

"Arthur," Uther replied.

Balinor jerked his head in a single nod, then turned and disappeared out the door.

**)()()(**

_A single tear rolled down Balinor's cheek as he stood at the edge of the forest and took one last look at the castle that had been his home before he turned and disappeared into the forest carrying his precious cargo in the direction of a small village called Ealdor._


	2. 20 Years Later

**A/N Thank you guys so much for all of the favs and alerts! And special thanks goes to _Merthurfan1 _and _Rotashark _for taking the time to review. You guys made my day!**

**All right, so this one is a bit of a filler but I needed to bring Merlin (Yay!) into the story and fill in some gaps. Next chapter the plot picks back up! **

**And I can't believe I left this out of the last chapter (I am so sorry about that), but super special thanks to the awesome _Cattie V_ for betaing this story for me!**

**20 Years Later**

"Ah!" Merlin yelped as he tripped over a tree root and fell flat on his face.

Arthur who was walking in front of him stopped and turned around at the sound. Upon seeing the gangly boy on the ground, yet again, he heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes before walking back and hauling the young man to his feet.

"I had no idea anyone could be so clumsy until you came along," Arthur said as Merlin brushed himself off.

"It's not my fault the tree root was there," Merlin defended weakly.

"Oh, don't blame the forest Merlin," Arthur replied as he began walking again.

Merlin jogged to catch up with him and waited until they were side by side before speaking again.

"I wasn't blaming the forest. I'm just saying it isn't my fault this time."

"Like it wasn't your fault all those times you tripped while walking across a completely flat and smooth surface? Stop being such a girl Merlin," Arthur teased.

"You stop being such a prat!" Merlin shot back.

"Well, I'll stop being a prat when you stop being an idiot," Arthur stated.

"So you actually admit that you're a prat?" Merlin said gleefully as Arthur unintentionally set himself up for the jab.

Arthur scowled and playfully shoved Merlin sideways causing the naturally clumsy boy to stumble, trip over his own feet, and promptly land flat on his face again.

Arthur closed his eyes and shook his head before pulling Merlin to his feet once more. Arthur couldn't help but laugh at the glower on Merlin's face but Merlin couldn't stay mad long and began laughing as well as Arthur threw an arm around his shoulders and they continued toward the clearing that was their destination.

**)()()(**

Balinor heard laughing and turned to see the two boys step into the clearing. As his eyes fell on Arthur he felt a pang of sadness. He couldn't help but think of Uther and Ygraine as he saw the resemblance the boy bore to his real parents. His mind wandered, as it often did when he looked at Arthur, to that day twenty years ago.

There were times when he just couldn't believe it had been twenty years since he had walked into the little village of Ealdor carrying a baby Arthur in his arms. Guias had once told him about his sister, Hunith. The physician had told Balinor that if he was ever near Ealdor and needed help or a place to stay to go to Hunith.

Hunith had taken one look at the baby in his arms and offered to let Balinor stay in her house. Hunith had turned out to be a Godsend, teaching a completely helpless Balinor how to take care of the little prince. After a few months Balinor told her the truth about Arthur knowing he could trust her as she had completely fallen in love with the boy and had started taking care of him as if he were her own. As time wore on Balinor and Hunith fell in love and were married and just two years after Balinor and Arthur had been forced to flee Camelot, Merlin was born and the two boys had been inseparable right from the start.

Balinor was brought out of his memories by said boys who stopped in front of him and looked at him expectantly.

"Arthur you go ahead and warm up and we'll spar today," Balinor instructed.

"Yes Father," Arthur said grinning, he loved to spar. Then he turned and walked to the middle of the clearing to begin his warm up.

"After I finish with Arthur we'll work on your magic," Balinor said turning to his youngest son.

Merlin nodded before taking a seat on the ground to watch the coming duel.

Balinor watched as Arthur spun and swirled his blade slashing the air as he moved through his warm up with practiced ease. The boy moved a lot like his father, his style very similar to that of The King of Camelot. Another wave of sorrow assaulted Balinor at the thought of what could have been. What _should _have been. He shook his head, there was no sense in dwelling on things that couldn't be changed so instead he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and strode forward as Arthur finished his warm up.

Every day since Arthur was old enough, Balinor had brought him to this clearing and instructed him in sword fighting. Arthur may not have known he was a prince but Balinor was still bound and determined that Arthur learn everything he would have been taught had he been raised in Camelot. So Balinor instructed him in everything from swordplay and horseback riding to diplomacy and all the laws and customs of Camelot.

Once he was old enough Balinor had also tried to teach Merlin how to use a sword but that was soon abandoned as it became apparent that Merlin was completely hopeless with a sword. So instead, Balinor had focused on honing the magic that Merlin had developed before the boy could even walk.

So, every day the three of them came to the small clearing in the forest near their village. Arthur and Balinor would practice sword fighting, then Balinor and Merlin would work on spells, and every so often the two boys would spar, sword against magic. This allowed both boys to have a little fun while at the same time teaching them how to fight a different kind of opponent than usual. This was especially beneficial to Arthur, in that, he learned how to combat a magical enemy which the dragonlord knew he would need if Azrial ever found him.

Balinor banished that terrible thought and faced his son, his sword at the ready. The two hesitated a moment before springing forward their swords clanging as they collided between them. The two men skillfully attacked and parried, their swords slashing the air, as they leapt and spun in a beautiful yet dangerous sort of dance.

This continued for some time until Arthur managed to knock the sword from his father's hand and send it flying across the clearing. But Balinor wasn't defeated yet as he possessed years of experience as well as a few tricks that Arthur didn't. Arthur believing he had won was not prepared for his father's next move. The dragonlord spun around and dropped into a crouch with one leg extended behind him catching Arthur's legs and sending the young man to the ground. Balinor stood grabbing Arthur's sword in the process and resting the tip on the prone young man's chest. The whole maneuver was performed in one fluid motion and was completed so fast that Arthur didn't even have the chance to fully register it before it was over. The young man took one look at the sword pointing at his chest and allowed his head to drop back on the ground in defeat.

Balinor removed the sword and pulled Arthur to his feet.

"Don't ever let your guard down. Just because your opponent doesn't have a weapon does not mean they are helpless," he admonished gently.

"Yes, Father," Arthur said nodding.

Balinor chuckled and handed Arthur back his sword.

"You did good, though. You were able to disarm me. You are becoming quite skilled," he said as he retrieved his own blade and returned it to his scabbard.

Arthur grinned widely at the praise as Balinor put an arm around the young man's shoulders.

"You just have to remember to not get ahead of yourself," he said as they walked toward where Merlin was standing at the edge of the clearing.

They reached Merlin, and Arthur lowered himself to sit on the ground tiredly.

"You did good today, Arthur," Merlin said.

"Thanks," Arthur said smiling up at his brother.

Balinor removed his sword and laid it on the ground then he and Merlin walked to opposite ends of the clearing and faced each other.

"Let's see what you've got," Balinor called to the raven-haired young man.

Merlin smirked before his eyes flashed gold and a wave of water rushed toward Balinor who easily deflected it.

"Come on. Is that all you've got?" he asked.

"I'm just getting warmed up," Merlin shouted back.

He muttered a few words and several rocks rose from the ground and were encompassed in fire before flying straight for the dragonlord.

Balinor put up a light blue barrier stopping some of the rocks and with a few muttered words of his own he destroyed the rest.

"That's a bit better. But still far too easy," Balinor called.

In response to the challenge, Merlin stepped up the frequency and strength of his attacks. Both sorcerers lobbed spells at each other, the attacks getting bigger and more elaborate as time went by but always staying weak enough that if one were to hit home it wouldn't seriously hurt anyone. They leapt and dodged around the clearing attacking and parrying as they went. They were evenly matched neither gaining an advantage over the other until Balinor let loose two huge balls of blue energy and sent them flying at Merlin. While the young man was focused on blocking them Balinor sent a third energyball at him from behind. Merlin sensed more than saw the magic flying toward his back and he jerked around to see a ball of energy flying right at him. He didn't have time to stop it and his distraction caused him to drop his guard against the other two and all three magical energy attacks flew at him. But just before they would have struck him Merlin felt his magic flare up in one gigantic surge the likes of which he hadn't felt before. His eyes blazed a brilliant gold and he instinctively let loose a burst of magic and obliterated the three energyballs.

He turned to see expressions of surprise on his father's and brother's faces but he pushed his own surprise to the side for the moment and quickly capitalizing on this new found power and his father's distraction he allowed his instincts to take over and without saying a word he let loose an small amount of magic that came out in the form of a small bolt of lightning. It struck his father in the chest and sent him flying backwards and onto the ground where he laid stunned a moment before sitting up. The lightning bolt did nothing more than give him a good shock and knock him off his feet as well as making him all the more surprised for he knew for a fact that he hadn't taught Merlin how to conjure lightning.

"What was that?" Balinor asked incredulously.

Merlin shrugged and looked sheepish.

"Where did you learn that?" Balinor asked as he climbed to his feet.

"I didn't," Merlin said looking at the ground. "It just sort of happened."

"Just sort of happened?" Balinor asked confused.

Merlin looked up as his father came to stand in front of him.

"Yeah. Your energyballs were coming at me and I just sort of reacted. When I did my magic kind of surged through me. I let it go and it stopped your attack. Then I decided to capitalize on your surprise and I just let my instincts take over and let loose a bit of the magic and it came out as a lightning bolt. It wasn't really intentional," Merlin explained.

Balinor studied him a moment. Merlin had always been pretty powerful but this was a whole new level of magic, for indeed the burst that he let loose had been much more powerful than what many sorcerers were capable of. In fact, there were only a few groups of people that Balinor knew of, that had that kind of power and none of them were as young as Merlin who was only eighteen. Balinor couldn't help but wonder if Merlin was this powerful now, what kind of power would he have when he got older?

"Does your magic still feel as strong?" Balinor asked already knowing the answer as he himself could sense it swirling inside the boy.

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

"Can you control it?"

Merlin concentrated a moment and Balinor could feel the magic rise up in the young man, growing stronger, as Merlin reached toward it.

"Yes," Merlin replied and Balinor felt the magic dim a bit as Merlin let go of it.

"Well it looks like you are ready for the next level in your training," he said.

Merlin smiled excitedly.

"But not today," Balinor said and had to suppress a laugh at Merlin's crestfallen look. "We'll start tomorrow, all right?"

Merlin nodded, some of the excitement returning to his young face.

Suddenly, Arthur bounded up to them.

"That was amazing!" Arthur yelled, then wrapped his arms around Merlin giving him a bear hug. "Way to go little brother!"

A huge grin spread across Merlin's face at the praise.

"All right, that's enough for today let's head back," Balinor cut in.

He muttered a few words and reached his hand toward his sword lying at the edge of the clearing. The sword rose up off the ground and flew to Balinor's outstretched hand. He strapped it to his waist once more then he heaved a contented sigh as he listened to his two sons chatter away about the days' training.

* * *

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	3. Attack!

**A/N Okay guys I think I have finally figured out my updating schedule. Updates will probably be on every Thursday or Friday I'm not sure which but I promise I will get a chapter up at least once a week.**

**Thanks to the awesome _Cattie V_ for being my beta!**

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**Attack!**

The next day dawned bright and clear, and found, as was typical, Arthur wide awake, ready to seize the day, and Merlin still dead to the world.

"Merlin," Arthur said in a sing-song voice as he poked his brother in the arm.

"Go 'way," Merlin slurred.

"You asked me to wake you up early," Arthur replied.

"Changed my mind," Merlin mumbled as he rolled over, turning his back to Arthur.

"All right," Arthur said simply and allowed Merlin to relax before suddenly reaching over and grabbing a pitcher full of water off the nearby table and upending it over his little brother's head.

"What the...?!" Merlin cried as he sat up coughing and sputtering.

"You told me to make sure you woke up even if I had to pour water on you," Arthur said innocently as he struggled to keep a straight face.

Merlin glared at Arthur and if looks could kill, Arthur would never turn 21, but as it was, he lost his composure and busted out laughing at the angry and indignant look on his younger brother's face. Arthur realized what a mistake that was, however, when a moment later an already angry Merlin got even more so in the face of his older brother's laughter and without meaning to, lashed out at Arthur with his magic.

Arthur's laughing cut off as he saw Merlin's eyes flash gold an instant before he flew backward and crashed through the door, knocking it off its hinges, and rolled to a stop to lie in a heap on the ground in front of their house.

The moment it happened, Merlin's expression morphed from anger to horror as Arthur disappeared outside. Merlin leapt to his feet, lunged out the door, and knelt beside Arthur as he sat up and shook his head.

"Arthur! Are you all right?! I'm so sorry! I didn't meant to, I swear! It was an accident! I wasn't thinking!" Merlin said in a rapid and upset rush, and he would have continued had Arthur not cut him off.

"Merlin!"

When the young man stopped talking Arthur continued.

"It's all right. I'm fine. I know you didn't do it on purpose..." he paused a moment debating with himself before deciding to finish his thought, "and I probably deserved it."

"Yeah, you kind of did," Merlin replied with a relieved smile.

Before Arthur could say anything to that, Balinor came running up to them and crouched down on Arthur's other side and looked at both boys worriedly.

"Are you two alright? What happened?"

Merlin looked down with a nervous and guilty expression.

"Merlin?" their father asked in a warning tone. "What did you do?"

"It was an accident," Arthur said jumping to his brother's defense. "I poured water on him to wake him up and it made him mad and he accidentally threw me through the door."

Balinor looked back and forth between his two sons before bursting out laughing at their antics.

"You need to be more careful with your magic," he said sternly pointing at Merlin, after he stopped laughing, "and you," he pointed at Arthur, "don't pour water on your brother." Then his eyes lit up with amusement and he smiled. "Unless you want to be tossed twenty feet through the air again."

By the time he was finished he was laughing again. He patted Arthur on the shoulder then stood and walked off, probably to tell their mother about it, chuckling all the while.

"That definitely could have gone worse," Merlin said, relieved.

"Yeah, we were lucky Father didn't punish us," Arthur agreed.

Merlin helped Arthur to his feet and together they walked back to the house. As they passed the door, that was now lying on the ground, Merlin muttered a few words and the door reattached to the house and closed behind them.

**)()()(**

Later that morning, Arthur and Merlin were in the forest picking mushrooms for their mother, before heading to training when it happened.

They were walking along joking and laughing like always when a man in a black cloak suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Both boys stopped walking and instinctively moved closer to each other, Arthur wishing he had his sword, as they watched the man warily. There was something about the man that radiated evil.

"Hello, Arthur," the man said in a slick, menacing voice that instantly had both boys on alert.

"How do you know my name?" Arthur demanded.

"Oh, I know a lot about you, Young Prince," the man replied.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a prince. You've got the wrong person," Arthur stated, confused.

A look of genuine surprise crossed the man's face.

"Oh, oh, oh," he said gleefully, "Balinor didn't tell you? I always knew he was a worthless, good for nothing excuse for a sorcerer."

"Don't you talk about my father like that!" Arthur said angrily.

"Father? Is that what he told you? Oh, this is splendid. Not only will your father lose his son, he will lose a son that never knew him and grew up calling another man, Father," he laughed insanely, "This is perfect!"

Before either boy could ask what on Earth he was talking about, the man's eyes flashed red and a blood red fireball went flying straight for them. They would have been obliterated had Merlin not sensed it coming. Merlin felt the magic before it appeared and he was ready for it. He wrapped his arms around Arthur and knocked him to the ground and the fireball slammed into a tree instead. With an instinctive burst of magic, Merlin sent the sorcerer flying backward, but he didn't stick around to see what happened to the sorcerer. Instead he capitalized on the opportunity. He jerked Arthur to his feet and together they ran for all they were worth.

They were almost out of the forest when they heard an angry growl behind them but they didn't look back. They just poured on more steam and ran faster.

Just as they broke the tree line and their village came into view, Merlin felt magic right behind him and he grabbed Arthur and pushed him forward just as another fireball flew over their heads, missing them by inches.

Feeling another attack coming, Merlin used the momentum of their fall to roll into a crouch facing the sorcerer who was just exiting the forest. Without speaking a word, Merlin raised a hand and a light blue barrier appeared before him, stopping yet another fireball. Merlin vaguely noted that that seemed to be the sorcerer's favorite spell. He shook his head to clear it of the trivial thought. He needed to focus.

The sorcerer was looking at him with surprise, like he wasn't quite sure what to make of him.

"You have magic," he said dumbly. This wasn't part of his plan, but he could handle a measly boy.

"And you have a gift for stating the obvious," Merlin retorted.

It probably wasn't a good idea to annoy the powerful sorcerer that was trying to kill them, but Merlin was angry enough he didn't care. This man had tried to kill his brother, and nobody hurt his family.

"Nobody hurts my brother!" Merlin roared as he sent a fireball of his own flying, but instead of an evil blood red color like the sorcerer's, Merlin's fireball was a pure, azure blue.

The sorcerer stopped the attack but did not counterattack as he took note of what Merlin had said.

"Brother? You're Balinor's son?" he asked in disbelief. "Oh this just keeps getting better. I can kill two birds with one stone. Literally!"

He muttered a spell and sent a huge boulder flying straight for Merlin and Arthur who was standing helplessly behind his brother.

Merlin easily blocked it but the man sent another and another, stone after stone, pebble size to boulder size and everything in between. Anything that could be classified as stone slammed into Merlin's barrier one after the other. At first, Merlin could handle it but after a while it began to wear on him. He was getting tired and it was getting harder to focus. With so many rocks coming so constantly, Merlin could do nothing but defend Arthur and himself and he couldn't do it forever. He needed help.

Tentatively, Merlin reached out with his mind seeking a familiar consciousness.

There! He found it!

_Father! _he thought.

Only a second passed before his father responded worriedly.

_What's wrong?_

_Sorcerer... attacked us... Help! _were the only thoughts he could manage as he was forced to focus all of his attention on protecting Arthur and himself once more. No longer able to divide his attention, Merlin severed the telepathic link and prayed that his message got through.

**)()()(**

Balinor was busy grooming his horse when he felt a presence brush against his mind then a single panic filled word.

_Father!_

Balinor's head snapped up and he dropped the brush he had been using as he heard the distress in the voice which could only belong to his youngest son. He was already moving in Merlin's direction when he responded.

_What's wrong? _he asked urgently, his pace quickening.

_Sorcerer... attacked us... Help!_

Then the connection was broken, but it didn't matter. Balinor had already gotten the message and it made his blood run cold. There was only one person it could be.

Azrial.

Balinor broke into a full tilt run, a deep roar and words in an ancient language coming from him as he went.

Not long after Balinor and Arthur arrived in Ealdor, Balinor had gotten in contact with his friend, The Great Dragon, Kilgharrah. He had explained the whole situation, and Kilgharrah had agreed to move into a cave not far from Ealdor, specifically for this purpose. If Azrial ever found them, all Balinor had to do was call Kilgharrah and the dragon could be there in a few minutes. The dragon had visited Balinor often over the years to check that all was well and in the process, had met and grown very fond of both Arthur and Merlin. The Great Dragon would either protect the two boys or die trying.

Balinor continued running as fast as he could as he finished the call. Kilgharrah would be there soon but until then, it was up to him to hold off Azrial as best he could. He heard Hunith shouting at him as he sprinted past her. She wanted to know what was wrong and without slowing down he yelled one word over his shoulder.

"Azrial!"

**)()()(**

"Azrial!"

Hunith's blood ran cold. This was the day she had feared for years, ever since Balinor had told her the truth about Arthur.

_Arthur. Merlin._

They needed her. So, following her maternal instincts she picked up her skirts and ran after her husband. She was going to help her sons, or die trying.

**)()()(**

Arthur had never felt so helpless. He couldn't do anything but stand by and watch as his brother struggled to protect them from the barrage of boulders. Arthur's hands clenched into fists and he gritted his teeth. He hated being so useless. He couldn't even go for help because as soon as he moved from behind Merlin's shield, the sorcerer would cut him down. If he just had his sword he could at least help, but without it he could do nothing but stand silently behind Merlin as the young man strained against the onslaught.

**)()()(**

Merlin grunted as the rocks continued to batter against his magical barrier and drain his strength. He collapsed to one knee as a particularly large boulder hit his shield but he held it together and the rock was deflected. He dimly heard Arthur yell his name in alarm but he ignored it as he focused every last ounce of his will to sustain the only thing keeping them alive. But he knew that no matter how much will and determination he had, his body just couldn't keep this up forever and it wouldn't be long before he gave out and the shield failed, leaving them defenseless. Just when he felt could hold it no longer, a wave of energy blasted toward the sorcerer and he was forced to put up a shield of his own to block it. It was enough of a distraction that he couldn't keep up his attack on Merlin and Arthur and the rocks stopped. Merlin had never been happier to see his father in his life and he gratefully let down the shield.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my old _friend _Balinor," the sorcerer said venomously. This _definitely_ wasn't part of his plan.

"Stay away from them, Azrial," Balinor commanded.

Azrial simply laughed.

"You may have managed to stop me twenty years ago but you will not be so fortunate again," Azrial stated confidently.

"Don't be so sure," Balinor said before launching a burst of blue energy which exploded against the ground as Azrial dove out of the way.

The evil sorcerer got back to his feet before launching an attack of his own. Balinor managed to deflect it and sent another burst of magic at Azrial and while he was busy blocking it he turned to Arthur and Merlin who, not sure what they should do, hadn't moved from their previous position.

"Go! Get out of here!" Balinor yelled.

The boys were loath to leave their father but they knew they wouldn't be any help if they stayed, so they began to edge away from the battle and toward the village. But before they got ten feet, Azrial sent yet another one of his fireballs flying for them.

Merlin was still too drained to cast a powerful enough spell to stop the fireball so, once again, he was forced to tackle Arthur to the ground and let the attack blaze past overhead. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Merlin would have laughed at the fact that this was the third time he had had to throw his brother to the ground today, but this was no laughing matter.

They heard a cry of outrage come from their father as his eyes blazed gold and he bombarded Azrial with a sudden barrage of attacks which Azrial only just barely managed to stave off.

The evil sorcerer was forced to focus on Balinor which allowed the boys to get up and begin moving away again.

Azrial and Balinor exchanged several more attacks, alternately blocking and dodging each other's volleys. Only a few minutes had passed when Balinor felt a familiar presence brush his mind and seconds later, Kilgharrah landed next to him and blew a massive blast of fire at Azrial.

With a roar of outrage, Azrial disappeared knowing he couldn't contend with a dragon, especially after expending so much strength attacking Merlin and fighting Balinor.

Balinor breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Kilgharrah gratefully.

"Thank you, Kilgharrah," he said with a slight bow.

"Anytime, old friend. I gladly fight for you and your sons," Kilgharrah replied with a regal dip of his massive head.

Before dragon or dragonlord could say anything more, Balinor heard a familiar and fear-filled voice say one word. One word that made his heart stop cold.

"Mother?"

Slowly he turned knowing what he would see, but unprepared for it nonetheless. There, about forty feet away, was Hunith, laying unmoving on the ground, completely lifeless. Merlin and Arthur were slowly approaching her, calling out in the hope that she would respond.

"Mother?" Arthur said again.

"Mum?" Merlin said in a voice thick with the tears that were already streaming down his face as the truth overpowered him. "Mum?"

"Mother?" Arthur said with a sob, his own tears slipping down his cheeks, as the two boys knelt down beside their mother's still form.

A few seconds later, their father appeared and fell to his knees on the other side of her. He knew she was gone, he could feel it. Slowly and reverently, he reached out and caressed her face as silent tears began to fall.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered as he looked at her.

He could easily see what had happened. Hunith had run into the field while the two sorcerer's were fighting, and judging by the dark magic Balinor could feel around her, one of Azrial's attacks had hit her, killing her instantly.

Tears streamed down the dragonlord's face at the loss of his beloved wife and he would have remained sitting there grieving if it wasn't for the danger. Azrial knew where they were which meant none of them were safe anymore. He had to get the three of them somewhere safe, or at least safer.

Balinor scooped his wife's body up in his arms and carried her over to a clear spot on the ground and laid her down, Arthur and Merlin clinging to each other and following behind him. He brushed the hair out of her face and stroked her cheek again.

"Goodbye, my love. I will always love you," he said as he pressed one final kiss to her forehead before standing up and moving aside so that Arthur and Merlin could say their goodbyes.

"Goodbye, Mother. I love you," Arthur said.

"I love you, Mum," Merlin added, brokenly.

Then the two boys stepped back, never letting go of each other.

She deserved a proper funeral pyre but there simply wasn't time. The longer they stayed there, the greater the danger for everyone.

Balinor turned to Kilgharrah who, out of respect, hadn't moved from where he was standing.

"I am truly sorry, my friend," the dragon said, sorrowfully.

Balinor swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke.

"Would you...?"

He didn't have to finish the question. Kilgharrah understood.

"It would be my honor," The Great Dragon responded.

He opened his mouth and breathed a jet of fire on the ground, igniting Hunith's body, before bowing deeply in honor of a great and wonderful woman.

As the poor and impromptu funeral pyre burned, Balinor turned to his sons who were standing a few feet away, staring at the flames. He walked over to them and drew them into his arms. Both boys sobbed openly as they clung to their father. The three stood there comforting each other as best they could for a few minutes before Balinor reluctantly pulled back. They simply could not wait any longer. He turned to Kilgharrah who knew exactly what the dragonlord had to do and was already way ahead of him.

"I will scout ahead. Call if you need me," he said and at Balinor's nod, unfurled his wings and took to the skies.

Balinor looked at his sons again.

"Go saddle your horses and pack everything you need or want to take with you. We may not be back here for sometime," he told them.

Both boys looked at each other, confused.

"Where are we going?" Arthur asked.

Balinor turned and took one last look at the dwindling fire before responding with one word that would change everything.

"Camelot."

* * *

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**Next chapter: Arthur and Merlin finally learn the truth.**


	4. The Truth

**A/N You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for the awesome reviews and for all the Birthday wishes!**

**Thanks _Cattie V _for the beta!**

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**The Truth**

Uther sighed as he stared out his bedroom window overlooking Camelot.

Ygraine walked up behind him and gently laid a hand on his back.

"He is twenty now," Uther said simply.

"I know," Ygraine whispered.

Not a day went by that they didn't think of and wonder about their son.

"We don't even know if they're still alive," Uther said, sounding defeated.

"Yes we do," Ygraine replied forcefully. "I think we would know it if Arthur... if he was gone. And I _know _that you would feel it if Balinor was killed."

She was right. Uther knew in his heart that the moment Balinor died he would know it because a part of him would die too.

"You are right as always," Uther said with a soft smile. "Balinor is still alive and that means Arthur is as well because we both know that the only way any harm would come to him is if Balinor was dead first."

Balinor had sworn to protect Arthur twenty yeas ago but even if he hadn't made that promise they knew that their son would only ever come to harm, literally, over Balinor's dead body.

"Perhaps the worst cruelty of all," Uther said sadly, "is to not only lose a son but a brother as well. I can only pray that they are both safe and well and that we will see them again."

"We will. I know we will," Ygraine said confidently.

Uther couldn't help but smile at his wife's certainty. She had been his beacon of hope these last years. In the absence of Balinor, Uther could have easily descended into anger and depression that would have left him cold and irrational. The dragonlord had always had a way of making Uther see sense and had an ability to calm the king's turbulent emotions thus preventing him from doing anything stupid or shortsighted, or anything that he would come to regret later. After Balinor was gone, however, Uther had no one to keep him in check, that is, until Ygraine took over that job.

That was yet another thing to add to the already very long list of reasons why he loved her. She had made him see reason and stopped him from making many rash, stupid, and even possibly devastating choices over the last two decades.

Uther couldn't imagine her not being there and he shuddered to think what could have become of him and Camelot had he not had her by his side.

**)()()(**

It was amazing how a single moment could change someone's life so completely. Balinor was more familiar with this concept than most.

Twenty years before, he and his two closest friends, indeed his family, were completely content and happy. He was a proud Uncle and Uther and Ygraine were overjoyed parents. Then Azrial had come and the brand new family had been torn apart and he had been forced to say goodbye to his family for the next twenty years. But he had found his way to Ealdor where he had met and fallen in love with Hunith, and then Merlin had been born. He had found happiness again. He had an amazing, beautiful, loving wife and two wonderful and strong sons that any man would be proud of. And for twenty years they were a happy family, content to live their simple life with each other. Then Azrial had come again and his life had been torn apart once more. But this time it wasn't just him that had been broken. He had lost his wife, but Arthur and Merlin had lost their mother.

And yet, it was Arthur twenty years ago, and both Arthur and Merlin now, that held him together. Without them the despair would overwhelm him, but as long as he had them not everything was lost. He may have lost his home and family twenty years ago but he had still had his nephew and a promise of returning home once again. Now he may have lost his wife and was leaving his home of twenty years but he still had his sons, and every step his horse took brought him closer to his first home and his first family. So he pressed on and silently mourned his losses, old and new.

**)()()(**

Balinor, Arthur, and Merlin had been riding for several hours. Not long after they started out a somber Arthur and Merlin had asked Balinor why they were leaving and why they were going to Camelot but Balinor had simply promised to explain everything later and the three rode on in silence, each caught up in his own thoughts and grief. And they stayed that way until they made camp that night.

They made camp in a small clearing so Kilgharrah who had been scouting ahead all day, could land for the night. The three men ate a somber evening meal, then stared into the fire for a few minutes before Balinor heaved a resigned sigh and glanced at Kilgharrah who nodded. Then Balinor turned to Merlin and Arthur.

"It's time you both knew the truth but you especially Arthur," he said.

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension on their faces. Whatever their father was about to tell them, it was big.

Balinor sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. He had been preparing himself for this for the last twenty years. He had debated, second guessed, and agonized over how and what he would tell Arthur when the time came, but now that it was here he had no idea where to start and no matter what he said or how he went about it it was still going to turn Arthur's, and even Merlin's, world upside down, but they deserved to know the truth. There was no reason to keep it secret anymore, now that Azrial had found them and they were no longer hidden.

He had told them both before that he used to live in Camelot and that he had known the King and Queen of Camelot. He had told them a lot about Uther and Ygraine so that Arthur would have grown up hearing about his birth parents, even if he didn't know that's who they were. Now it was time to tell the rest.

"You both know that before either of you were born I lived in Camelot." When they both nodded he continued, "I also told you that I knew King Uther and Queen Ygraine, but what I didn't tell you was that I was their court sorcerer and they were my best friends and the closest thing I had to family. I grew up with King Uther and we were so close that when he became king he legally made me his brother."

Arthur's and Merlin's eyes widened in surprise.

"Doesn't that make you a-"

"A prince. Yes," Balinor said cutting Merlin off. "But that is not important right now. What _is_ important, is the sorcerer that attacked you. I have met him before. His name is Azrial and many years ago he and his brother tried to take over a neighboring kingdom by kidnapping that king's twelve year old son. King Uther and I went after him and we got the boy back and he was fine, but in the ensuing battle, Azrial's brother was killed and Uther and I were badly injured which allowed Azrial to escape. But before he disappeared, he swore revenge against us for thwarting his plans and killing his brother."

"That's not fair! You weren't to blame! He and his brother did a terrible thing. You just did what you had to," Merlin cried.

"Yes, but to an evil person like him it didn't matter. In his eyes he was justified and we were in the wrong. He wanted to blame us so he did," Balinor replied, "but it wasn't until a few years later that he tried to make good on his threats, and we had all but forgotten about him by that point. It was the night that Uther's and Ygraine's child was born. A son. They were so happy and I was so happy for them. That night I became Uncle Balinor," he said with a wistful smile.

"So we have a sort of cousin?" Merlin asked.

Balinor's smile fell from his face.

"Not exactly. I was with Uther and Ygraine and I was holding the young prince when a servant came and said there was someone to see the king. As a prince I had quite a bit of power and I was second only to the king, even outranking the queen, so there weren't many matters that I couldn't handle on the king's behalf. Since he had just become a father I volunteered to go so Uther could stay with his wife and newborn. I went to the throne room to attend to the man but when I got there the man turned out to be Azrial."

Both Merlin and Arthur gasped.

"He wanted his revenge and we fought for several minutes before one of his attacks hit me and slammed me into the wall, dazing me. Then he revealed that his plans were to take the life of the newborn prince.'"

Arthur's and Merlin's eyes widened.

"To this day, I still don't know how I managed to get myself to my feet and make it down the hall but somehow I did, and I arrived just in time to hear Azrial threaten the prince before he cast a spell. I just managed to put up a shield before the spell could kill the king, queen, prince, and Gaius who was your mother's brother and the court physician. I knew that I couldn't fight Azrial off by myself, though, especially wounded as I was. The only thing I could do was call on some dragons and hope that the threat of two dragons would deter him. Which, fortunately, it did. Back then, just like now, he wasn't strong enough to fight off something as powerful as a dragon so he left but not before vowing to take the prince's life. Because of that, we knew that the prince wasn't safe in Camelot and he never would be until Azrial was captured. So on Gaius' recommendation, Uther and Ygraine decided that they had to have someone take the infant prince out of the kingdom to a place where he would be safe and Azrial wouldn't find him." Balinor paused a moment.

"What happened?" Merlin asked fervently.

"Uther knew that he couldn't protect his son from a sorcerer. Only someone with magic could, and he said that there was only one man besides himself that he would trust with his child."

"Who?" Arthur asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Me."

Both boys looked at him in shock. Even though they had guessed that it was their father it still surprised them nonetheless.

"The king gave me the prince to take and keep safe until Azrial was caught. I had to say goodbye to my family and leave my home but I knew, just as they did, that it was the only way. If the prince had stayed in Camelot he would have eventually been killed but if he was hidden where Azrial wouldn't think to look, then there was a better chance of him being safe and because of my magic I had a better chance of ensuring his safety. I already knew of Ealdor from your Uncle Gaius and I knew that it would be an ideal place to hide. That's why we've been safe for the last twenty years. It took Azrial that long to find me."

"But who? Who is the prince? Where is he?" Merlin cut in.

Balinor grimaced. This was the hard part, the part he had been dreading.

"Just before I left Uther and Ygraine, I asked them what they named the child," he paused and gathered his strength then looked Arthur right in the eye. "They named him... Arthur."

Merlin and Arthur jerked back as if they had been struck.

"You... you mean..." Merlin stammered.

"Arthur, you are the Prince of Camelot," Balinor confessed.

"You-," Arthur swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. So many thoughts and emotions were swirling inside him but there was one thought, in particular, that stood out among the rest. "You and... and Mum aren't my parents?" he asked his eyes shining with unshed tears.

"_No! _No, you are my son! You may not be of my blood but you are _my son_. I am your father and Hunith was your mother. You have always been and will always be our son and we have always loved you and always will, regardless of who your birth parents are. That will never change!" Balinor said forcefully. "All right?"

A few stubborn tears rolled down Arthur's face and a lump formed in his throat, preventing him from speaking so he just nodded in response.

Balinor pulled him into his arms and Arthur buried his face in his father's (because that is what he was, his father) chest and let a few more tears flow.

"I love you. Don't ever forget that." Balinor whispered.

_And that, _Arthur thought, _is really all that matters._

"I love you too, father," Arthur choked out.

"And no one could ever say or do anything to change the fact that you're my brother," Merlin promised.

Arthur turned to him and smiled before embracing the younger man.

"Thanks, little brother," he said.

Merlin gave him a small smile, the first genuine smile he had smiled since their mother had died that morning.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Arthur asked turning back to Balinor.

"Because Uther and Ygraine asked me not to. I told them you deserved to know and they deserved for you to know but they were right, the more you knew the greater the danger you would be in. Your life was safer with you not knowing who you were. But that doesn't mean that I kept everything from you. All of those stories I told you about King Uther and Queen Ygraine, I told you those stories because I wanted you to know at least some about your birth parents. And I also taught you everything you need to know to be a prince. Much of what I taught you, such as your sword fighting, you would have learned had you grown up in Camelot."

Arthur nodded trying to absorb this new information. He was overwhelmed and was trying to grasp it all.

"What about me?" Merlin asked as the question just occurred to him.

"I was just coming to that," Balinor answered. "Not long after we, Arthur and I, arrived in Ealdor I met your mother and she took one look at me and the tiny baby in my arms and immediately offered to let us stay in her house."

Merlin and Arthur smiled at the thought of their mother's kindness.

"That sounds like Mum," Merlin said.

"Yes. Your mother had always had a wonderful and kind heart," Balinor said with a soft smile. "I didn't have anywhere to stay or any of the things needed to take care of a baby, and I didn't even know how to take care of a baby in the first place, so I accepted her offer. She immediately began caring for you as her own which was fortunate for you, Arthur, because I was completely hopeless when it came to taking care of an infant," he chuckled softly, Arthur and Merlin joining in at the thought of their father's ineptitude.

"She loved you like her own and I knew I could trust her with the truth so I told her who we were and what had happened. It didn't matter who you were or where you came from, she loved you all the same and if anything, it just made her more protective of you. As time went by, I grew to love her dearly and we were married. Then when Arthur was a little over two years old you were born, Merlin, and the rest you know. We have lived happily as the family that we are and I have trained both of you in the things you need to know. Arthur, I have taught you everything you need to know to be the King of Camelot one day and Merlin I have trained you to eventually be the Court Sorcerer of Camelot. It is what you were both destined for. This I know to be true."

Both boys stared wide eyed at the dragonlord. They had been told so much life changing information and it all seemed completely surreal to them, but before they even had a chance to register it all, Balinor dropped another bombshell.

"As for the reason we are going to Camelot, Azrial is still after you, Arthur. He proved that today when he attacked you and now that he knows of Merlin's existence he will be going after both of you. He wishes to punish Uther and me by taking our sons. But that will be harder now that you are both grown and especially since you have powerful magic, Merlin. The whole reason I went to Ealdor in the first place was to hide you, Arthur, but now that we have been discovered there is no reason to stay when we can go to Camelot, your birth place, and where you, and in fact all three of us, belong. You two may have only ever known Ealdor as your home but you belong in Camelot and I think you will grow to like it in no time flat. Now, do either of you have any questions?"

"All these years, Azrial has been looking for me right?" Arthur asked. Balinor nodded and Arthur continued. "So, is that why Kilgharrah has stayed so close to us all this time?"

This time it was Kilgharrah who answered.

"Yes, Young Prince. Balinor contacted me not long after he brought you to Ealdor and told me what had happened. I agreed to stay close by in case Azrial found you so I could be there to help fight him off. Looking back, I am glad I moved to Ealdor for it has been an honor to be a part of your lives and to watch the two of you grow up and I am glad I was able to help protect you. I only wish that I could have arrived in time to save your mother. She was a good and kind woman."

Arthur and Merlin brushed away tears and Balinor blinked back some of his own.

"Thank you, Kilgharrah. For watching over us and for protecting us," Arthur said sincerely with Merlin nodding his agreement.

Kilgharrah simply inclined his head toward the two young men.

"I just can't believe Arthur is a prince," Merlin said still reeling from all of the information.

"Not just Arthur," Balinor said. "The fact that I am legally a prince makes you one as well Merlin."

Merlin's jaw dropped open and he stared at his father in disbelief. The expression on Merlin's face was actually pretty funny and Balinor and Arthur both chuckled.

"But- but-" Merlin stuttered trying to make his brain work again before finally blurting out, "But I don't want to be a prince! I don't want power and I certainly don't want to be a king."

"I understand completely. I certainly didn't want to be heir to the throne, but you don't have to worry you're not in the line of succession. That falls to Arthur. When he was born I was no longer heir apparent which means you aren't either," Balinor explained.

Merlin let out a sigh of relief. "So all I have to do is keep Arthur alive and I'm safe."

"That's your only reason to keep me alive?" Arthur asked indignantly.

"Well not the only reason, but a little extra incentive doesn't hurt," Merlin replied.

Arthur grabbed Merlin in a headlock and laughed as Merlin squawked and struggled to free himself, to no avail.

"All right. All right, that's enough," Balinor said with a chuckle.

Arthur released Merlin and a minute later the two boys, almost simultaneously, released huge yawns that didn't escape Balinor's notice.

"All right I think we all need some sleep. We will arrive in Camelot tomorrow and we don't want to be half asleep when we do," Balinor said.

Merlin and Arthur both nodded, finally realizing just how tired they were.

"Good night, Father," they both said before rolling up in their blankets and falling asleep almost instantly.

"I will keep watch, my friend, you get some rest," Kilgharrah said to his dragonlord.

"Thank you, Kilgharrah," Balinor said. Then he too rolled up in his blanket and fell asleep.

The next day promised to bring much and they would all need to be well rested for it.

* * *

**Let me know what you think. :)**

**Next Chapter: Balinor, Arthur, and Merlin arrive in Camelot.**


	5. Arrival In Camelot

**A/N Thanks to all those who faved and alerted!**

**Thanks to the great _Cattie V _for the beta!**

**And thanks to the awesome people that are my reviewers:**

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**Arrival In Camelot**

The next morning, Arthur woke up slowly, sleep still fogging his brain. It took him a minute to remember where he was but once he did, the reasons he was there came back to him as well, and he suddenly wished he hadn't woken up.

The whole previous day seemed completely unreal. He just couldn't wrap his head around it. His brain refused to believe that his mother was dead, an evil sorcerer wanted to kill him, his biological parents weren't the people who raised him, and he was the Prince of Camelot. It all seemed like a bad dream or some sort of sick, cruel joke.

How could someone's life go from normal and happy one minute, and upside down and torn apart the next? He didn't know the answer to that. All he did know, was that there was no way he could get through all of this if it weren't for the fact that he still had his father and brother, and that they still were his father and brother, even though he didn't share blood with them. His thoughts were interrupted by his father gently shaking his shoulder.

"Arthur. Come on son, wake up."

At his father's gentle touch and soft words, Arthur's already raw emotions flared-up and tears started rolling down his face, despite his best efforts to hold them back.

"Oh, Arthur," Balinor whispered, his voice full of anguish, as he brushed a hand through Arthur's hair.

His father's caring touch broke down the last of Arthur's composure and a sob escaped him. The events of the day before overwhelmed him and he mourned the loss of his mother and his once happy, simple, and blissfully ignorant life.

Balinor gently pulled the boy into his arms and Arthur buried his face in his father's chest and clung to him like someone awash in a raging sea who had just found an anchor. Balinor held him tightly and rocked him back and forth, as he fought to hold back his own tears at his son's heartbreak. He repeatedly ran his hand through blond hair in a comforting manner as Arthur allowed himself to release his tumultuous emotions.

Balinor held him for several minutes until Arthur cried himself out and the sobs were replaced by hitching breaths. Arthur closed his eyes and laid his head on his father's chest, feeling physically and emotionally drained. After a few minutes, Arthur's breathing evened out and he fell into an exhausted sleep.

Balinor felt his son relax against him and gently lowered him back down onto his blanket and covered him up. Balinor had originally wanted to get an early start but Arthur needed to sleep, and it probably wouldn't hurt Merlin to have a couple more hours as well, so Balinor let both boys rest as he went about rebuilding the fire and getting a few things together to make breakfast later.

**)()()(**

Two hours later, Arthur and Merlin woke to the smell of food cooking. They rolled out of their bedrolls and walked over to sit by the fire where their Father was cooking a late breakfast. They greeted each other good morning before Balinor handed both boys each a plate of food and the two hungry young men immediately dug in while Balinor discreetly studied them. He was glad to see that the extra sleep had done both Arthur and Merlin a world of good. Both boys looked better by leaps and bounds. The dark circles and weary exhaustion from the night before had disappeared from their faces and they looked more refreshed and alive. He had definitely made the right choice.

The three of them finished eating and Arthur and Merlin rolled up their blankets and packed them into their saddlebags, while Balinor cleaned and packed the plates and put out the fire. Then all three men saddled their horses, but before Arthur or Merlin could mount up Balinor stopped them.

"Wait. There's something I want you to do before we leave."

He turned and pulled three hooded cloaks, one red, one yellow, and one navy blue, out of one of his saddlebags.

"Put these on," he said as he tossed the yellow one to Arthur and the red one to Merlin before wrapping the navy one around his own shoulders.

Arthur and Merlin caught the cloaks and looked at each other quizzically a moment. Then they shrugged and slung the capes across their shoulders, buckling the clasp at each of their throats.

"Put up your cowls," Balinor ordered as he flipped his own hood up, the voluminous fabric plunging his face into shadow, "and don't take them down until I tell you otherwise."

"Why?" Arthur asked, his curiosity getting the best of him as he and Merlin raised their hoods to cover their faces. The cloaks wrapped completely around them to cover every inch of their bodies from their heads to just above their ankles, making the three of them look kind of like brightly colored columns.

"Because I don't want to run the risk of being recognized. The closer we get to the palace the more people we will encounter and it is possible that Azrial could have spies. Not that it would matter much. Even without spies, it won't take Azrial long to figure out we've returned to Camelot but I'll take any time I can buy us," Balinor explained.

Merlin and Arthur nodded their understanding then they mounted their horses, their cloaks spreading out behind them over the horses' hindquarters. Then three mysteriously cloaked riders urged their horses into a canter and set off toward Camelot once more.

**)()()(**

For Camelot, it was just another normal average morning. The people and servants were going about their duties and the royals were holding court and attending to the everyday issues and concerns. All in all it was a typical, routine day. That is, until around midday when three hooded and cloaked figures rode through the gates and into the courtyard. One of the guards stepped forward and spoke to the navy clad figure who seemed to be the leader.

"Who are you? What is your business here?"

"We are here to see the king," the navy clad man answered.

"Who should I say is calling?" the guard asked warily. He didn't like that he couldn't see their faces and it didn't seem like they were going to drop their hoods anytime soon.

"Just tell the king... an _old friend_ is here to see him," the man answered.

The guard was still uncomfortable with the situation but he turned to go inform the king anyway. He walked into the castle and to the throne room where the king and queen, the king's advisers, and several knights were.

"Sire," he said as he gave a slight bow, "there is a man here to see you."

"Who is it?" the king asked, unconcerned by the common request.

"Um," the guard shifted nervously, "I don't know, Sire."

The king looked up, suddenly alert and cautious.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?"

"Well, he didn't give me a name. All he would say was that he was an 'old friend,'" the guard replied.

Uther shifted uneasily. He had a feeling this wasn't something small and innocuous. Something big was about to happen, he just wasn't sure what.

"Well, what does this man look like?" asked one of the knights.

"I don't know," the guard said. "He was hooded and cloaked."

"Do you think it could be him?" the knight asked the king uneasily. "Azrial?" the name was little more than a whisper.

"I don't think so. It's not his style. If he came here, he wouldn't ask for an audience he would just appear in the middle of the room," the king said, thinking out loud.

"And if it is him, then he got himself some accomplices," the guard added.

"What do you mean?" the king asked curiously.

"The man who asked to see you has two other men with him. All three of them are cloaked," the guard explained.

The king was silent a moment before he spoke again.

"I don't think it is Azrial but I don't like all of this secrecy. They could be dangerous. Bring them in," he commanded the guard, then he turned to his knights, "but you knights be ready just in case."

"Yes, Sire," they echoed.

Then the guard bowed to the king and left the throne room.

**)()()(**

A few minutes after the guard left, he returned and spoke to the cloaked figure once more.

"The king will see you now," he said.

Balinor shot Merlin and Arthur a glance before dismounting. The two boys interpreted the unspoken command and followed suite. Servants came forward and took their horses from them and led the animals toward the stables.

"If you'll follow me," the guard said before he turned and walked up the steps with Balinor, Arthur, and Merlin close behind him.

Balinor couldn't help the wave of memories that washed over him as he walked the familiar halls of his old home. For just a moment, one single moment, as he walked along, time seemed to fall away and it was as if he had never left. He had never fled his home and left his family behind. For just an instant, he could have believed that that was the truth, but the illusion was shattered and reality reasserted itself when they reached the throne room.

The guard opened the doors and the three colorfully clad men walked into the throne room. Hidden in the safety of his hood, Balinor blinked back sudden tears as his eyes came to rest on his two closest friends. They were both twenty years older, a little more gray and weathered perhaps, but he would recognize them anywhere.

He led the way, Merlin and Arthur flanking him, as they walked deeper into the expansive room. Balinor came to a stop about twenty feet from the throne and looked at his friends for a moment. Merlin and Arthur stopped and stood side by side about ten feet behind their father, just as he had instructed them outside while the guard had been gone to inform the king of their presence.

Following the order of their king, all of the knights in the room were tense and wary, ready to fight if need be, as they watched the three men suspiciously.

Uther looked at the three cloaked figures a moment then opened his mouth to inquire as to their identities and their business there, but he was cut off by the navy clad man.

Balinor placed his right hand over his heart, dropped to one knee, and bowed his head to the two royals.

"Sire," he said with the utmost respect in his tone.

Uther had the strongest feeling that he knew this man. The king couldn't, for the life of him, begin to guess how he found a completely hooded and cloaked man to be the least bit familiar, but something deep down inside of him told him he knew the man.

"Who are you?" Uther asked curiously.

Balinor stood back up and squared his shoulders. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for for the last twenty years. Slowly, he reached his hand up and pulled his hood back.

Ygraine gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, and Uther's eyes grew to the size of saucers and his mouth gaped open as the two royals stared in silent shock at the man in front of them. Even twenty years older they recognized him instantly, as he looked at them with a soft, warm smile on his face.

At the sound of the queen's gasp, all but two of the knights grabbed the hilts of their swords, ready to draw them if the man attacked. The two knights that didn't move were two of the oldest among the ranks and they, like the king and queen, as well as the very oldest of the king's advisers, stood with expressions of shock, surprise, and utter disbelief on their faces. Apart from those few people, everyone else in the room had confused and fearful looks on their faces as they watched the stranger. The two eldest knights, however, knew they had nothing to fear from this man. They could never forget the former court sorcerer who had once talked and joked with them and who had even instructed them in sword fighting on a regular basis, back when they were still new and inexperienced knights. Likewise, it was impossible for the eldest of the royal advisers to forget the king's best friend and his brother in all ways but blood.

Uther stared at the smiling man in front of him for a what felt like hours. He was sure that it must be a dream and that it would all dissolve and disappear into nothing any second, leaving him heartbroken once again. But it didn't. It was real. His best friend was home at last. His brother was home at last.

Uther all but launched himself off of his throne as he leapt to his feet and lunged toward his long lost brother.

"Balinor!" he cried as the two men threw their arms around one another, hugging each other fiercely and unashamedly crying tears of pure joy.

It was everyone else's turn to look shocked and surprised at not only hearing the very well known name, but at seeing their king's open display of emotion. Only those old enough to remember knew of the strong and special bond the two men shared and thus were not surprised by their normally strong and unshakable king openly hugging someone and allowing others to see his tears.

Arthur and Merlin, who were watching from their place behind Balinor, couldn't help but smile at the happy reunion. The king and their father shared the same kind of bond the two of them had. They were brothers, perhaps not by blood but brothers nonetheless, and nothing, not even the passage of time, could ever change that, not for Balinor and Uther and certainly not for Merlin and Arthur.

The two men stood there for a few minutes, holding onto each other as if they were afraid that if they let go, one of them would disappear.

"I have missed you, My Friend," Balinor said softly as they stepped back and gripped each other's shoulders.

"As I have you," Uther said smiling warmly.

By this time, Ygraine, having taken a much slower and more queenly pace, had reached them and Balinor turned to her.

"Balinor," Ygraine said with a big smile.

"Ygraine, beautiful as ever," Balinor said as he took both of her hands in his and kissed her on the cheek. "You haven't aged a day since I last saw you."

Ygraine laughed happily.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she said with a big smile.

"What flattery? It's the truth," Balinor replied with a grin.

The three of them chuckled before a thought suddenly occurred to the two royals. If Balinor was there then... Uther and Ygraine looked behind their friend at the other two men who were still hidden by their cloaks.

Balinor saw their gaze and instantly remembered the other reason he was there. He smiled at his two friends.

"Yes, I believe there is someone who you would like to meet," he said to them.

Then he looked over his left shoulder and held his arm out toward the yellow covered young man and motioned him forward.

Arthur's stomach flipped nervously. This was the moment of truth and Arthur might have stood there frozen in fear forever, had it not been for Merlin. The younger man, sensing brother's distress, reached over and unobtrusively gave Arthur's hand a brief squeeze. Taking strength from his brother's comforting touch, Arthur took a deep breath and strode forward to stand beside Balinor.

Balinor placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder. Slowly, Arthur reached up and pushed back his cowl. Everyone in the room took in a sharp breath as they laid eyes on the young man. There could be no doubt that the boy was the prince. He was the perfect blend of the king and queen. He had Ygraine's blond hair and blue eyes and Uther's strong and masculine features.

"Is this...?" Ygraine asked, barely daring to hope.

Balinor smiled at her before turning to Arthur.

"Arthur, meet King Uther and Queen Ygraine, your parents."

Arthur wracked his brain for something appropriate to say as he began to panic. They were his biological parents and he was their long lost son, but he didn't know these people. They weren't parents to him. Balinor felt him tense and imperceptibly squeezed his shoulder, moving his hand just enough for Arthur to feel it but not enough that it could be seen.

His father's touch grounded him and his training reasserted itself. Arthur squared his shoulders and bowed his head to the royals.

"It is an honor to meet you," he said in a strong voice.

It was the best Arthur could come up with. He couldn't, in all honesty, say that it was a pleasure. It wasn't a pleasure, but it wasn't _not_ a pleasure either. It just simply was. He didn't know them so he didn't feel anything toward them as of yet, except uncertainty.

Only Merlin and Balinor could see his true emotions because they knew him so well. A wide, proud smile split Merlin's face as Arthur's strong and confident voice betrayed none of the quaking nervousness he knew his brother was feeling. Merlin could clearly see Arthur's discomfort but the years of training their father had given him, allowed Arthur to hide his true feelings and keep from showing his nerves to everyone. The onlookers had no idea of the turbulent emotions the prince was feeling and as such they couldn't help but be impressed. The boy looked every bit the prince he was.

"Arthur," Ygraine whispered and reached her hands toward him but stopped herself and pulled them back.

Arthur could tell she wanted to pull him into her arms and hold him tightly but she knew that would be crossing the line so she refrained, and Arthur was very grateful for that. He knew she was his biological mother and that she loved him, but he just wasn't comfortable hugging her, at least not yet.

Although she was able to restrain herself from throwing her arms around the young man, she couldn't keep herself from touching him. Tentatively, she reached forward and caressed his cheek. It was all Arthur could do to keep from jerking away from her. He knew she wasn't trying to make him uncomfortable but all Arthur could think about was that she wasn't the mother he knew. The only mother he knew was dead and, somehow, he felt like he was betraying her by allowing the queen to touch him. He knew in his head that that was ridiculous but his heart was a little harder to convince. In the end, though, his mind won out and he didn't move.

Ygraine reluctantly pulled back, not wanting to go too far, and clasped her hands together in an effort to keep from reaching out to him again. Uther also knew that they had to tread lightly, so he simply extended his hand toward the boy.

This, Arthur could handle. A handshake was something you did with any man when you first met them. Arthur willingly took the king's hand and gave it a firm shake and even allowed a small smile to appear on his face.

Ygraine knew if she continued to stare at her son she wouldn't be able to control herself any longer, so she forced her gaze away from Arthur and her eyes fell on the last member of Balinor's little party.

"Balinor? Who's this?" she asked, motioning behind him.

Balinor smiled brightly and turned to Merlin, gesturing for him to come forward.

"Someone I want you to meet," he said.

Merlin walked forward, stood on the other side of his father, and pushed back his own hood.

Balinor laid his hand on Merlin's shoulder and turned back to Ygraine.

"This is Merlin."

Ygraine took one look at the young man and a hand flew to her chest in surprise. She knew exactly who he was. The boy was the spitting image of his father.

"Oh, he _must _to be your son," she said.

Balinor, Arthur, Merlin, and even Uther looked at her in surprise.

"He looks just like you when you were younger," she said, answering the unspoken question.

At her words, Uther took a closer look at the boy and, as usual, his wife was right.

"Yes, this is my son," Balinor said.

Merlin and Arthur could both hear the unspoken word in his sentence- 'Yes, this is my_ youngest _son'- but they didn't comment.

"Well, this day has not only seen the return of two of Camelot's princes," Uther said as he put a hand on Arthur's shoulder and looked at Balinor before placing his other hand on Merlin's shoulder, "but the addition of a third."

Balinor couldn't help but smile, he was finally back home and with all of his family, well _almost_ all of his family.

Even after so many years, Uther still knew Balinor well enough to see the sudden sorrow in his eyes. The sudden sobering of mood brought him back to the present and he remembered that he was in the middle of the throne room, surrounded by his advisers and several of his knights. Not to mention the fact that he didn't even know why Balinor was there. Whatever the reason, it must be serious. Uther had indulged himself enough. He was the king and he had to start acting like it once again. He caught Ygraine's eye and sent her a pointed look. She nodded slightly, a serious expression taking over her features once more.

"What brings you back so suddenly, Balinor?" Uther asked as he took Ygraine's hand and they reluctantly turned to walk back to their thrones.

Balinor, sensing the shift in the mood, nudged Merlin and Arthur who obediently moved to their previous positions behind Balinor. Balinor stood tall, squared his shoulders, and clasped his hands behind his back. Uther and Ygraine were almost to their seats when he spoke.

"He found us."

Uther and Ygraine spun around and they looked at him in horror, their expressions the same as the rest of the people in the room. Nobody had to ask who _he _was.

"How?" Uther asked, barely above a whisper.

"I don't know. He just appeared and attacked us," Balinor answered.

"But obviously you were able to stop him?" Uther said, the statement phrased more like a question as he and Ygraine settled into their seats.

"Yes... but not without cost," Balinor said.

Merlin's face crumpled and he pressed his fist to his mouth to stop a sob. Arthur, seeing his brother about to lose control of his emotions, stepped closer to him and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. Just as Arthur had earlier, Merlin drew strength from his brother and with a monumental effort, he pulled himself back together. He took a deep breath and lowered his hand back to his side, squeezing Arthur's hand in return before letting go.

The exchange did not go unnoticed by the king and queen and a sudden feeling of foreboding overcame them.

"What happened?" Uther asked, not sure if he really wanted to know.

Balinor took a deep breath and locked his emotions deep inside of him before he spoke steadily and calmly.

"There was one casualty. During my battle with Azrial one of his attacks went wild and..." He paused a minute and gathered himself to say the next words. "and my wife, Hunith, was killed."

Uther closed his eyes in grief for his friend. Suddenly, Merlin's and Arthur's reactions made perfect sense. Their mother, or in Arthur's case the only mother he had ever known, was dead.

"Oh, Balinor..." Ygraine whispered sadly.

"I am _so _sorry my friend," Uther said, feeling genuine sorrow for his brother's loss.

It was all Balinor could do to keep his emotions in control and off his face, but even so he knew he was only able to fool the nearby onlookers. He knew he hadn't, and couldn't ever, fool his two best friends, especially Uther.

A slightly shaky breath from behind him, brought Balinor back to the real world. Even without seeing them, he could feel his sons' turbulent emotions. Merlin and Arthur had already been through this once and he didn't want to make them relive it.

"We have much to discuss, but it was a long trip and I think Merlin and Arthur are probably tired. Do you think there is somewhere they can rest while we talk?" Balinor asked, giving Uther a pleading look, hoping that his friend could still understand him, without the need for words, after all these years.

Thankfully, he could.

Uther knew that Balinor didn't want to subject the boys to the explanation, so he complied readily.

"Yes, of course. A servant will show you to your rooms and bring you some food to eat," he said, addressing the two young men.

Merlin and Arthur were a little wary of leaving their father but he allayed their fears when he turned around and spoke with a slight glint in his eye.

"Yes, and after you are finished with that, you might get some practice in, something you are both desperately in need of," he said teasingly.

He knew that neither boy really needed to practice. They were both excellent fighters but they enjoyed it and it would be a good distraction for them.

No one else in the room understood the exchange but they could tell that whatever it was, it was the right thing to say as both boys' faces lit up and they smiled brightly.

"Well? Get a move on," Balinor commanded with a smile.

"Yes, Father," they said in unison.

Then they each gave the king and queen a hasty bow before all but running out of the room, talking excitedly and saying something about who would beat who. As such, they were too distracted to notice Balinor wince or the brief look of hurt that flashed in Uther and Ygraine's eyes when Arthur called Balinor 'Father'. The king and queen knew that Arthur had been raised as Balinor's son, as per their orders, and that the boy didn't know them and had no reason to see them as his parents, but that didn't make it hurt any less to see someone else lift their son's spirits and make him smile, or to hear him call someone else 'Father'. It was yet another reminder of all they had missed over the years.

Balinor didn't want to turn back around because he knew that he would see the hurt in his friends eyes, but he turned anyway and, sure enough, there it was, a slight look of pain, reflected in the king's and queen's eyes. And perhaps the worst part was the fact that Balinor couldn't bring himself to fully regret the situation, and that made him feel guilty. He loved Arthur just as much as he loved Merlin, no more and no less, and he simply couldn't ever regret hearing Arthur call him 'Father,' even if it did cause his friends pain. The look in their eyes lasted only a moment, though, before it disappeared. The king and queen knew that now was not the time to dwell on it, so they pushed their personal feelings aside. There were more important matters to attend to.

"Now," Uther said before taking a deep breath, "tell me exactly what happened."

* * *

**Let me know what you thought of the big reunion. :)**

**Next Chapter: Balinor fills the king and queen in and Arthur and Merlin get a glimpse of what life as royalty is like.**


	6. A Taste of Royal Life

**A/N I've had a few people ask if there was going to be some bromance and action coming up soon. This chapter has a little Merlin and Arthur interaction toward the end and next chapter will be almost all Merlin and Arthur and it will have some fun action, plenty of brotherly moments, and some humor. The serious, tense kind of action will be coming along in later chapters. :)**

**Thanks to the excellent _Cattie V_ for the beta!**

**Thanks so much to the wonderful people who left such awesome reviews!**

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**A Taste of Royal Life**

"Twenty years ago, when I fled from Camelot with Arthur, I went to a small village, that Gaius had once told me about, just outside of the kingdom called Ealdor, where we have lived in safety ever since," Balinor began. "That is, until yesterday. Somehow, Azrial found us. He appeared to Arthur and Merlin while they were alone in the forest near Ealdor and he attacked them."

Everyone in the room had uneasy expressions on their faces as they listened to Balinor's story.

"I am just grateful that Merlin was with Arthur when it happened because without him, Arthur would have surely been killed. Fortunately, though, Merlin was able to hold off Azrial until I got there."

Before he could go on, Uther interrupted him.

"But how could he hold off someone so powerful?" Uther asked skeptically. Then, realizing how his question sounded, he quickly added, "I mean no offense. Merlin just doesn't seem like the type..." He trailed off, unsure how to phrase it so it didn't sound like an insult. But he needn't have worried.

Balinor couldn't help but chuckle. His son certainly wasn't anywhere near the picture of a strong, fierce soldier.

"None taken, my friend. No, Merlin does not look the part of a warrior or knight. Indeed, he is completely and _utterly _useless with a sword. All of my attempts to train him in sword fighting failed miserably. _Honestly, _that boy is so clumsy it is a wonder he didn't stab himself in the foot."

The others in the room couldn't help but laugh at his description of the gangly boy.

"But what he lacks in physical ability, he more than makes up for in... other areas," Balinor finished.

"He has magic," Uther said, guessing his friend's true meaning.

"His good looks are not the only thing he inherited from me," Balinor said, smiling as Uther rolled his eyes. "I always assumed he would have some magical talent as, when I am gone, he will take my place as a dragonlord, but he has surpassed anything I could have ever imagined. He is unbelievably powerful. He is only eighteen and yet he is almost as powerful as I am. I can only imagine how much stronger he will become as he gets older."

Uther and Ygraine looked at him in surprise.

"But his power is still somewhat raw," Balinor continued, "and he needs training to harness it fully. That is what I was referring to when I told the boys they might get in some practice. They love to train and especially to spar with each other, magic against sword."

"So Arthur can fight?" Uther asked, excitement coloring his tone.

"Oh, yes. He is quite adept with a sword. I dare say he is even better than you were at his age," Balinor said.

Uther's face showed a bit of pride at the news.

"I have trained him in sword fighting ever since he was old enough to start learning, and I have also instructed him in many other areas. Just because he did not grow up a prince did not mean he couldn't be taught like one. I taught him everything he needed to know to be a prince and I made sure that he learned the same things that he would have, had he grown up in Camelot."

"Thank you," Ygraine said sincerely.

Balinor smiled and dipped his head in return, before continuing his tale.

"As I was saying, Merlin managed to hold off Azrial long enough to telepathically call me and alert me to the danger. I began running to their location immediately and called Kilgharrah on the way."

"Kilgharrah?" one of the advisers asked curiously.

"The Great Dragon," Balinor answered. "Not long after Arthur and I arrived in Ealdor I asked Kilgharrah to move nearby so that he could get there quickly in the event that Azrial ever did find us. I knew that a dragon would be the only thing that could defeat or even deter Azrial. Fortunately, it worked and Azrial left. Unfortunately, Kilgharrah was unable to kill him, much to his displeasure. Kilgharrah cares greatly for Arthur and Merlin and he wanted more than anything to rip Azrial to pieces for threatening them but, alas, he got away. Once the smoke cleared we discovered that my wife Hunith had come to the field that we were fighting in to try to help Arthur and Merlin, but one of Azrial's attacks hit her and killed her instantly," Balinor said, keeping his voice neutral and himself detached from the painful memory. "I knew that Azrial would be back and since he knew where we were, I knew we would be safer in Camelot. That was yesterday morning," he concluded.

Uther couldn't believe it, yesterday while he and everyone else in Camelot were going about their daily routine, his brother, his nephew (for all intents and purposes), and his own son were fighting for their lives, and while he was holding court or doing paperwork or some other such nonsense, his brother was saying goodbye to his wife. Uther felt guilt wash over him. He should have been there for Balinor and he wasn't, but he could be there now and he resolved that he would help his brother get through this.

"We traveled the rest of the day with Kilgharrah scouting ahead for us before we stopped for the night. That's when I told Arthur the truth about everything... and that you are his parents," Balinor added.

"Hold on just a minute," one of the younger advisers spoke up. "You mean to tell us that you raised the prince to believe that you were his father? How dare you presume to-"

"Silence!" Uther snapped at the adviser, a furious expression on his face. "Balinor did as the queen and I asked him to in order to keep our son safe, and if you wish to remain safe yourself then you will hold your tongue when it comes to matters that you know nothing about! The fact that it has been twenty years does not change the fact that Balinor is a prince of Camelot and, as such, deserves your respect!"

The adviser snapped his mouth shut fearfully, knowing that he had crossed a line.

"Please continue," Uther said, his voice returning to normal as he turned to Balinor once more.

"That night, Kilgharrah stood guard over us while we slept and this morning I gave Arthur and Merlin those cloaks to wear because I didn't want to run the risk of someone recognizing us. Once again, Kilgharrah scouted ahead of us as we rode, and he only left us once we cleared the forest and the castle came into view. He will remain nearby, though, just in case we need him again," Balinor finished.

"Good. Good," Uther said, then fell silent as he contemplated everything.

So much had changed in just the last half hour. His best friend was home at last, he finally got to meet the son he never knew, and said son's life was once again being threatened by an evil sorcerer.

"We must keep Arthur safe. Azrial _will _come after him again," Uther said.

"Merlin too," Balinor said. "Azrial knows that Merlin is my son and as you know, Azrial wants revenge against me as well. That makes Merlin a target now just as much as Arthur."

"You are absolutely right. We must protect both of them, no matter the cost," Uther said.

Balinor and Uther looked at each other, steely determination in their eyes, and nodded in mutual understanding and a silent promise. Azrial would only ever hurt their sons over their dead bodies.

"There's not much more we can do right now and you must be hungry. Come eat with Ygraine and me and tell us about the last twenty years," Uther said effectively dismissing the court.

"I'd love to," Balinor replied with a smile.

**)()()(**

Merlin and Arthur gawked as they followed a servant through the twisting hallways. Like most children, both Merlin and Arthur had heard stories about castles while growing up but they had never been in one before, and they couldn't help but be amazed.

After a few minutes of walking, the servant stopped in front of a door and turned to them.

"This room is..." he trailed off as he looked at Merlin.

"Merlin," he filled in.

"This room is Prince Merlin's," the servant stated, making Merlin uncomfortable with the title.

The servant pushed open the door and stepped back to allow Merlin and Arthur to enter.

To say that Merlin and Arthur were awed would be an understatement. They couldn't believe their eyes. The room was huge and finely furnished. There was a large fireplace on one wall, a fair sized table with chairs in the middle of the room, a desk in one corner, a massive window with a spectacular view, and a bed in the room, just to name a few things. And what a bed it was. It was a bigger bed than either boy had ever seen and it looked as soft as a cloud. As a whole, that single room was bigger than their whole house back in Ealdor.

"This is _my _room? There must be some mistake!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Is there something wrong? I'm sure we could find a bigger room if this one is unsatisfactory," the servant rushed to please him.

"What? No! I don't need a bigger room. This one is _huge!_ I must be in the wrong room. This is much too nice for me," Merlin said.

"No Sire, this room is the one the king specified," the servant said, relaxing again.

Merlin just gaped at the room once more.

"If you come with me I will show you Prince Arthur's room," the servant said, motioning toward the door.

Just like Merlin had, Arthur winced at the title of 'prince' as he and Merlin followed the servant out into the hallway and to the room next to Merlin's which was almost identical to the previous one.

"I assume you will be eating in the same room?" the servant asked.

"Yes," Arthur said.

"Then I will have some food brought to this room," the servant said.

"Thank you," Arthur and Merlin said in unison.

The servant bowed to them, then left the room.

"Arthur look at this room! It's bigger than our house!" Merlin said once the servant was gone.

"I know," Arthur said as he took off his cloak and draped it over a nearby chair, Merlin following suit. "We could _share_ a room with no problem."

Merlin's gaze locked on to the bed and a mischievous smile split his face. He turned and looked at Arthur with a glint in his eye. Arthur took one look at his brother's face and instantly knew exactly what he was thinking. A wide grin crossed Arthur's face before the two boys ran toward the bed, launched themselves into the air, and landed on the soft mattress, laughing.

"Oh, I could get used to this," Merlin said as they laid side by side on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"So could I," Arthur replied with a sigh. "So could I."

They were jolted from their thoughts by a knock on the door. Both boys got up off the bed and Merlin went to the door. He opened it to see a young, pretty serving girl holding two plates of food.

"I brought food for the princes," she said.

"I see word gets around. Oh, here let me help you with that," Merlin said as he took one of the plates from her and stepped back so she could enter.

"Yes, word spreads fast in the castle, especially when it's such wonderful news as this," she replied.

"I'm Merlin. What's your name?" he asked as he set the plate on the table and stood beside Arthur who was standing frozen in the middle of the room staring at the girl, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"I'm Guinevere. Gwen for short," she answered as she placed the other plate next to the first.

"It's nice to meet you, Gwen," Merlin said while Arthur still stood motionless.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Sire," she said.

"Please, call me Merlin."

"Of course. As you wish. It is a pleasure to meet you, Merlin, and you as well Sire," she said speaking to Arthur who still had yet to move. "Everyone is so happy to have our princes back where they belong, especially the king and queen," she said, turning to Merlin again.

"Yes, I'm sure they are," Merlin said not exactly sure how to respond to that.

Gwen, sensing his unease and growing uncomfortable herself under Arthur's continued stare, brought the conversation to a close.

"Well, I had better get back to my chores and let you two eat."

"Thank you again," Merlin said, then elbowed Arthur in the ribs when his brother didn't speak.

Arthur coughed and finally returned to reality.

"Yes, thank you," he said hastily.

Gwen curtsied to them and retreated out the door.

"What was that?" Merlin exclaimed, turning to Arthur.

"Nothing," Arthur answered quickly as he walked toward the table.

"You _like _her," Merlin said after a moment.

"I do not!" Arthur cried defensively.

"Yes, you so do!" Merlin said teasingly.

"Shut up! I do not!" Arthur snapped as his face turned red.

"All right. Whatever you say," Merlin said, a bit of sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Let's just eat, all right? I don't know about you but I'm starving."

"Fine," Merlin said as he sat down across from Arthur at the table.

After they ate, Merlin got up and wondered over to the window. He looked out at the spectacular view for a moment before something caught his eye.

"Arthur, come look at this," he said, motioning his brother over.

Arthur got up and walked over to stand beside Merlin.

"Is that what I think it is?" Merlin asked excitedly as he pointed out the window to a small field.

"I believe so," Arthur said grinning.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Merlin asked as he and Arthur turned and left the room, headed for the training grounds.

* * *

**Thoughts?**

**Next Chapter: Arthur and Merlin meet a certain blond knight then do a bit of training.**


	7. Training

**A/N After everything I put Arthur and Merlin through, I thought they could use a bit of fun. :)**

**Thanks to _Cattie V _for the beta!**

**Thanks to the awesome people that are my reviewers!**

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**Training**

As Merlin and Arthur approached the training field, a blond haired knight saw them and began to walk toward them.

"Sires," the knight said as he bowed to them, "is there something I can do for you?"

Arthur made a face like he had tasted something terrible.

"Well, you can start by please not calling us Sire or Prince," Arthur said, internally begging to not be treated differently. "I'm Arthur."

"And I'm Merlin," Merlin added.

The knight relaxed at the two boys' informality.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Arthur, Merlin," he said nodding to them in turn. "I am Sir Leon but I have little use for titles as well so please call me Leon," he said as he held out his hand which Arthur and then Merlin both happily shook.

"We saw the training field through the window and we thought we'd come see if we could practice with you," Arthur said.

"You know how to fight?" Leon asked.

At Arthur's somewhat offended expression, Leon rushed to explain.

"I mean no offense. It's just that I assumed that you were probably raised in some small farming village and didn't know anything about fighting."

"Yes, I was raised in a small farming village but I was also taught how to wield a sword from a young age," Arthur replied.

"Well, then you are more than welcome to train with us," Leon said. "If you wish I would be happy to spar with you."

"I think I'll take you up on that," Arthur said.

"I will wait here while you put on your armor," Leon said.

"Armor? I don't have any armor," Arthur said looking at the knight in confusion.

"Surely you must have some kind of training gear designed to protect you," Leon said.

"No, we never had armor when I was growing up."

"Then I am sure we can find some for you," Leon suggested.

"No, that's not necessary. I'll just fight like this," Arthur said, waving off the suggestion.

"But Sire- I mean Arthur- I can't fight you if you are unprotected I could hurt you!" Leon said, obviously distressed.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Merlin said with a smirk. "You won't get the chance to hurt him."

"Besides," Arthur said cutting in, "since I'm not used to it, armor would just weigh me down and hamper my movements. Don't worry I've fought just like this all my life. I'll be fine."

Leon didn't look convinced but he didn't argue and instead followed Arthur as he walked out toward the middle of the training grounds.

Arthur drew his sword and got into his ready stance.

Leon was pleasantly surprised to see that the young man was well balanced and did seem to know what he was doing, but just the same, Leon was going to go easy on the boy until he got a feel for the prince's level of ability. Leon noticed that all of the other knights had stopped what they were doing in favor of seeing the young man's skill and Leon couldn't blame them. He was just as curious about their prince as the others were. He drew his own sword as the small group gathered around them.

All of the spectators had curious and excited expressions on their faces, that is, all but the other prince, Merlin. He had a confident expression on his face and was smiling as if he knew something that no one else did. Leon watched as Arthur met Merlin's eyes. Merlin gave Arthur a short quick nod which Arthur returned before turning back to face Leon.

Leon had no more time to contemplate the exchange, as the fight began. The two men charged each other, their swords clanging as they collided. They pushed away from each other and circled a bit alternating between jabbing or blocking their opponent as they felt each other out. As the fight went on, the attacks began to get stronger, faster, and more elaborate as the match began to heat up.

It soon became apparent to Leon that Arthur was no amateur. The young man knew exactly what he was doing and he was very good at it. It wasn't long before Leon was no longer holding back but was giving it all he had in an attempt to just keep up with the highly skilled young man he was fighting.

Arthur slashed and whirled, his blade just a blur as it whipped through the air. He was extremely fast and his attacks ranged from fairly simple to very elaborate, but regardless of how difficult a move might or might not be, Arthur executed them all to perfection.

After about six or seven minutes of fighting, Leon knew that he was outmatched and he simply did all he could to delay the inevitable as long as possible, but it all ended when Arthur suddenly spun the blade of his sword around Leon's and twisted it, causing Leon's sword to be ripped from his hand and fly straight up into the air. Then Arthur hooked his foot behind Leon's ankle, thus tripping him and sending him crashing to the ground, flat on his back. Arthur held out his hand in time to catch Leon's sword by the hilt as it fell through the air. Then he took the sword, crossed it over his own, and leveled the crossed blades at Leon's throat, freezing the knight where he lay in defeat on the ground.

All of the other knights stared in disbelief. Sir Leon was one of their best fighters possibly even _the_ best fighter among the knights and Arthur had just beaten him like it was the easiest thing in the world. Merlin, on the other hand was grinning proudly, completely unsurprised by Arthur's victory. He knew Arthur would win. Arthur may not be able to quite beat their father but their father was one of the best sword fighters alive which meant that if Arthur could come close to beating one of the best sword fighters in the land, then Arthur himself was very good.

Arthur lowered the swords and sheathed his own before offering a hand to Leon, helping him to his feet, and returning the knight's sword to him.

"Thanks," Leon said as he sheathed his sword. "You are an amazing fighter, My Lord -uh Arthur."

"Well I was taught by the best and you're not too bad yourself," Arthur said with a friendly smile that Leon readily returned.

Merlin walked up to stand beside them.

"Good fight. Now that you're warmed up, Arthur, how about a real challenge?" Merlin said, smirking cockily at his brother.

Leon looked at the gangly boy in surprise.

"You fight as well?" he asked skeptically as he took in Merlin's lanky appearance and lack of a sword.

"In a sense," Merlin replied cryptically.

"Merlin possesses his own talents and while he may not look it, he could take down anybody here with ease," Arthur added.

Leon couldn't help but look at the two boys as if they had lost their minds but he didn't say anything and instead walked to stand with his fellow knights to watch the coming fight, if you could call it that, from the sidelines.

Merlin and Arthur walked into the middle of the field and stood about thirty feet apart, facing each other. The watching knight's had never seen something so ridiculous before. Arthur was crouched his sword at the ready while Merlin stood straight with his hands at his sides, completely unarmed, and yet neither boy seemed to think this was odd or unfairly matched. Just as the knights were starting to worry about the two boys' mental health something amazing happened. Merlin's eyes turned gold and a bright blue fireball as wide as Merlin's shoulders flew out of his suddenly raised hand and barreled toward Arthur.

To say that the knights were shocked would be an understatement. Sure they had seen magic before but usually it was healing magic or simple tricks. They had never seen magic quite this powerful or on this scale before and especially not from someone so young.

Arthur had been trained to fight against magic for years and had fought his brother many times before, so he was more than ready for his brother's attack. He deftly rolled out of the way and stood back up just in time for another fireball to come flying at him. He didn't have time to dodge this one so he raised his sword up to block the attack. Arthur's sword had been enchanted by his father years ago to resist certain levels of magic, so the fireball dissipated upon contact with the blade.

"Come on Merlin! Is that all you've got?" Arthur taunted to the surprise of the knights.

_Is that all he had? Wasn't that enough? _Leon thought in amazement.

"Oh, give me a break. I'm just warming up," Merlin shot back easily.

"Well warm up faster. I'm not getting any younger over here," Arthur goaded.

Merlin just rolled his eyes before muttering a few words and sending a discarded sword flying at Arthur who parried the thrust. Merlin kept the blade moving, making Arthur fight a floating sword.

"Oh come on!" Arthur yelled between blocks. "I thought I was going to be fighting magic not a sword."

"Well if that's the way you want it," Merlin said and allowed the sword to drop to the ground, but before Arthur had a chance to relax, Merlin sent a group of fist sized stones toward his brother.

"That's more like it," Arthur crowed excitedly.

Then he began to duck and weave as he dodged some of the flying projectiles and hit or slashed others. Little by little Arthur began to cut down on the rocks flying around him. He slashed through some of them, rendering them nothing but ruble and batted away others with the flat of his sword. Arthur was pleased to see that some of the rocks that bounced off his sword flew straight at Merlin who yelped and lunged aside just in time to avoid being hit.

It wasn't long before Arthur dispatched all of the floating stones and stood, only slightly out of breath, facing Merlin again and ready for more. He didn't have to wait long as Merlin sent a wave of energy toward him intending to send him flying backward but Arthur deflected it with his sword and sent it careening back at Merlin who was thrown backward a few feet, landing on his back on the ground, but he didn't stay down long. He leapt to his feet and sent another wave at Arthur, this one stronger than the last. Arthur managed to deflect it again but grunted under the weight of the onslaught as he pushed back against the invisible barrier, sending it once again toward it's caster. This time, though, Merlin was ready and with a wave of his hand, a blue shield appeared in front of him and the barrier was stopped. Merlin dissolved the barrier and dropped his shield.

"Not bad, Arthur," Merlin complimented.

"You're doing pretty good there yourself," Arthur said, panting slightly. "For a girl!"

Merlin glared at him.

"I'm going to make you regret that!" Merlin said.

Then he closed his eyes and raised his arms straight out in front of him, his hands curled into fists.

Arthur instantly wished he hadn't baited his brother when he saw what Merlin was doing. All around Merlin, balls of lightning appeared, each twice the size of a fist. They swirled and crackled, occasionally striking out into the air or hitting the ground. Arthur took one look at them and knew he didn't want to get hit by one. He knew that Merlin, no matter how angry he might be, would never attack him with anything powerful enough to seriously hurt or injure him in any way, but he also knew that a little temporary pain did not fall into either of those categories and he suspected that if one of those things hit him he was going to get a pretty painful shock.

Merlin let the spheres circle around him a moment, then his eyes snapped open, his irises blazing gold, and his hands flew open, causing the spheres to go barreling at incredible speed right at Arthur. Merlin had been right, Arthur definitely regretted saying what he did.

Merlin watched in smug satisfaction as Arthur ducked and sidestepped the swirling, flashing projectiles. Merlin could tell that Arthur was hesitant to touch any of them but eventually he was forced to slash at one of the balls. His sword cut through it, causing it to disappear but not before giving Arthur a good zap for his trouble. Arthur yelped as the lightning skittered up his blade as soon as he touched the floating ball and hit him in his hand, stinging it and making his fingers go numb for a minute. Merlin held back a laugh at Arthur's expression as he realized his dilemma.

The only way Arthur could put a stop to the attack was to slash the lightning balls but every time his sword touched them he got shocked, so it was either dodge them until he was too tired to continue or shock himself five more times to stop them. His mind was made up for him a moment later when one of the balls came a little too close to him and the lightning struck out and shocked his shoulder, causing him to yelp, more in surprise than pain, and leaving a small burned spot on his sleeve where it had hit him. The longer this went on, the more shocks he was going to receive so he decided that the sooner he got this over with the better. So he began to cut. He hit a ball, it shocked him, he yelped, and then it disappeared. He hit another one, it shocked him, he yelped, and it disappeared. He repeated this procedure over and over until there was only one left.

At this point, Merlin, knowing that it was time to call it quits for the day, walked over to the knights still watching the little display, leaving Arthur to deal with the last lightning ball. As he approached, Leon and the other knights looked at him in astonishment.

"That was amazing!" Leon exclaimed. "I had no idea you had magic."

"Yeah, it's something I inherited from my father," Merlin said.

"You can inherit magic?" Leon asked. "I thought it was something you just learned."

"Sometimes it is and sometimes people are born with some form of magical talent. Like my father. He's a dragonlord, something he inherited from his father, along with his magical talents just as I have inherited my magic from him and will one day become a dragonlord." Merlin explained.

"One day? I thought you said it was inherited."

"It is but it is only passed from father to son through death. I will not become a droagonlord until my father dies and I sincerely hope that that is not anytime soon."

Before Merlin or Leon could say anything more, Merlin heard Arthur yelling from behind him.

"Merlin! Merlin!"

Merlin turned around to see Arthur batting at his pants leg which had been set on fire by one of the small lightning strikes from the last ball before Arthur could dispel it. Arthur batted and hit the fire trying to put it out but it was caused by magic, and as such, would not be quenched by normal means.

Merlin, taken off guard by the sight of his brother on fire, reacted totally on instinct and unleashed his magic in the first way that popped into his head. After all, what do you typically use to put out a fire?

Arthur suddenly found himself very cold and very wet as water appeared out of nowhere and drenched him from head to toe. He stood completely still, blinking water out of his eyes and spitting it out of his mouth. He looked to see Sir Leon and several of the knights trying valiantly to keep straight faces out of respect for their prince. Merlin, however, was not affected by titles and promptly started laughing so hard he nearly fell to the ground at the sight of his brother doing a wonderful impression of a drowned rat.

"You're going to pay for that!" Arthur growled.

Merlin stopped laughing and his eyes widened. Then he turned and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction of his brother who was already in pursuit. Merlin dodged and weaved around the training grounds trying to avoid Arthur but eventually the older boy caught up with him and tackled him to the ground. They wrestled around on the ground for a few minutes, neither gaining the upper hand for long until Merlin managed to wriggle out of Arthur's grasp and twist away from him, taking off running once more. Unfortunately for Merlin, Arthur was ready for this and Merlin just wasn't fast enough as Arthur lunged forward and grabbed Merlin's ankle, sending the younger boy to the ground. By the time Merlin managed to regain his feet, Arthur was already standing and he wrapped his arm around Merlin's neck holding the young man in a headlock and rubbing his knuckles mercilessly into the top of Merlin's head.

"Ow! Arthur! Ow, that hurts! Ow! Stop it!" Merlin yelled as he pushed against Arthur in a futile attempt to get away.

"Do you yield?" Arthur asked, not letting up for a second.

"Ow! Ow! All right! All right! I yield! I yield!" Merlin cried, giving in to his brother's superior strength.

Arthur released him and stepped back to smirk at the sight of Merlin's hair sticking up in all directions.

Merlin scowled and glared, halfheartedly, at Arthur as he rubbed the top of his head before smoothing out his unruly hair. Arthur just chuckled and threw his arm around Merlin's shoulders. Merlin couldn't help but smile back at his brother as the two began walking toward the edge of the training field once more.

**)()()(**

"They are quite close, aren't they?" Uther asked Balinor as they stood on a balcony overlooking the training grounds and watched as Arthur slung his arm around Merlin's shoulders before walking off the training field.

_Uther, Ygraine, and Balinor were walking down the hall when movement out of the corner of his eye caught Balinor's attention and he promptly led the king and queen out onto the balcony in time to see Arthur and Leon begin to fight._

_Uther was amazed and very pleased at Arthur's skill as he defeated Leon. _

"_Sir Leon is one of our best knights. Arthur is indeed incredibly skilled," the king remarked, pride coloring his voice._

"_Well he did learn from the best," Balinor said with a barely concealed smile._

_Uther simply rolled his eyes and shoved Balinor's shoulder with his own._

"That they are," Balinor replied to Uther's question. "They are as close as we were at their age," he said then hesitated, unsure whether he wanted to voice the rest of his thought, but then did so anyway in a voice that was nothing more than a whisper as he refused to meet Uther's eyes, "as close as I hope we still are."

Although the comment was barely audible, Uther still heard it.

"Look at me," Uther said, grabbing Balinor's shoulder.

Balinor raised his gaze to meet his friend's.

"I told you a long time ago that you are my brother and no amount of time or distance could ever, _ever _change that," Uther pulled Balinor into a tight embrace.

Balinor blinked back the tears that suddenly filled his eyes. This was more than he had ever dared hope for. Not only was he back home but absolutely nothing had changed between him and his only brother. Balinor swallowed past the lump in his throat and spoke.

"Thank you."

As they pulled back, a thought occurred to Balinor and he smiled widely.

"There is something I wish to show both of you," he said, addressing both Uther and Ygraine.

"I think I have the perfect place for that," Uther said, an excited gleam in his eye. "Come."

Then he turned and began walking down the hall, Balinor and Ygraine following curiously on his heels.

* * *

**If you liked it, feel free to let me know. :)**

**Next Chapter: Uther and Ygraine get to be a part of the last twenty years and Gaius finally shows up again. **


	8. Memories

**A/N Thanks for the reviews guys! You make my week so much better! Okay, so this one is a bit of a filler and some necessary conversations before the action picks back up in the next chapter.**

**As always, thanks to _Cattie V _for the beta!**

**And thank you to the people who took the time to review: **

_**rmatri540**_

_**xXTheDragonRiderXx**_

_**Lady Blade WarAngel**_

_**rowsdowersavesus**_

_**Narutoske**_

_**Insanityisgood25**_

_**BlueStarMusicGeek**_

_**Lady Ningrum**_

**Memories**

Uther led Balinor up a very familiar hallway, toward an even more familiar room.

"We kept it exactly how you left it. Aside from maids coming in to clean no one has been in here in twenty years," Uther said as they entered the room.

Balinor looked around the room that had once been his. It was just how he remembered it. There was armor strewn across a table, a dagger laying by the bed, a few pillows in disarray on the made bed, some papers splayed across the desk, and one of his drawers still open from where he had gotten some clothes out of it twenty years ago. It was, literally, exactly the same as it had been when he had left twenty years before.

"It's perfect," he whispered.

He walked into the room and trailed his hand across the table as he walked by and touched one of the poles on the four poster bed as he made his way over to the open drawer. He reached inside and ran his hand over his old clothes and lifted out a deep purple, almost black, tunic that had once been one of his favorites. He gently laid the garment back into the drawer before walking over to the window and looking out at the spectacular view that he had sorely missed over the years.

"I have missed this," he said when Uther came and stood beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have missed all of this, Camelot, its people, and I have desperately missed you, my brother," he said as he looked at Uther.

"As have I," Uther said leaning his forehead against Balinor's. "As have I."

For the first time in twenty years, Balinor and Uther felt whole and complete once again.

"There were so many times over the years when I wished so badly that you were both there. That we could all be together," Balinor said speaking to both Uther and Ygraine who had come up beside them. "That is why I made something, for when we finally found each other again."

Balinor reached up and pulled on a chain that was around his neck. He lifted it from beneath his shirt to reveal a bright and beautiful blue stone that seemed to glow with its own light.

"What is it?" Ygraine asked curiously.

"It is a way for you to be a part of the last twenty years," Balinor replied cryptically as he pulled the chain over his head.

He walked over to an empty table nearby and placed the stone in the center of it.

"I found this stone not long after my arrival in Ealdor and it reminded me of a spell I came across many years ago. The spell allows the caster to record events onto an object such as a stone or jewel," Balinor explained.

"You mean you can..." Ygraine trailed off not really daring to hope.

"Uther, Ygraine, I have some memories to share with you," Balinor said with a smile.

Ygraine and Uther sat on the edge of the bed, a few feet away from the table, facing the blue gem. Balinor pulled a chair up and sat backwards on it, also facing the stone on the table. With a few whispered words and a wave of his hand Balinor's eyes shimmered gold and the gem began to glow brighter. After a moment, a light blue beam extended out of the gem and grew until there was a shaft of light about two feet high and two feet across shining vertically from the blue stone.

It was a strange thing to look at. It was light, so it was possible to see through it but at the same time it wasn't totally transparent. It was almost like looking through a foggy window. They could see things through it but at the same time their view was partially obstructed.

As they watched, a picture began to form in, or rather _on_,the light. It took Uther and Ygraine but a moment to recognized the infant that was laying in a cradle in the picture. It was Arthur, and it appeared to be not long after his departure from Camelot twenty years before. The picture didn't remain a picture for long. As the king and queen watched, baby Arthur moved in his cradle and seemed to look right at them. In reality, Arthur had been looking at Balinor as he recorded the image but the fact remained that he looked straight ahead and smiled. The king and queen couldn't help the shock they felt at seeing the moving image. It was as if they were watching something that was taking place right then in that room, rather than a recorded occurrence from years ago.

As they watched, the scene began to change. Uther and Ygraine were also surprised and delighted to discover that the stone also recorded sound. They sat with rapt attention as the scenes changed. Balinor feeding Arthur, Balinor making Arthur laugh, Arthur sleeping, and other similar scenes played before their eyes. After a few minutes of this, the stone changed once again but this time the image depicted was a bit different. The scene was taken inside of the same house as all of the previous ones but in this one Arthur was asleep in the arms of a woman who smiled down at the small child. Uther and Ygraine looked at Balinor and saw that he was staring at the woman with a mixture of love and sorrow in his eyes. Instantly they knew who the woman must be.

Their attention was drawn back to the stone as the image changed again. The images all had baby Arthur in them. Several of them had the woman, Hunith, in them too and some even had Balinor. As the stone continued to change they began to see the passage of time. Arthur grew from the infant he was into a young child. He said his first words, he started crawling, and eventually walking unsteadily. Eventually, the scene changed to that of a wedding. Balinor's wedding. Once the wedding was finished the stone changed again to images of Arthur playing and, later, to images of the child toddling up to Hunith who was round with pregnancy. Then the scene changed again. This time it had Arthur, Hunith, and Balinor in it.

Balinor was sitting next to Hunith who was holding a small newborn baby in her arms while a two year old Arthur looked down at his new brother.

"_What should we name him?" Balinor's recorded voice asked._

"_How about Merlin?" Arthur spoke up._

"_Merlin?" Balinor asked._

"_Yeah, like the kind of bird," Arthur replied._

"_A falcon? Why do you want to name him after a falcon?" Balinor asked him._

"_Because they have the same color eyes," Arthur said innocently._

"_You've seen a falcon with blue eyes?" Hunith asked._

"_No. _Gold_ eyes," Arthur corrected as if it was obvious._

"_But Arthur, the baby has blue eyes," Hunith explained with a fond chuckle._

_Little Arthur looked down at the small infant in confusion._

"_He didn't before. Before they were gold. Like yours are sometimes, Papa," he said, turning to Balinor._

Uther and Ygraine had similar expressions on their faces as the two recorded parents. Merlin had had magic, literally, from the time he was born, something that was unheard of.

_Hunith and Balinor shared a long surprised and awed look at the implications, before Hunith turned back to little Arthur who had no idea of the importance of his discovery._

"_I think Merlin is the perfect name for him," she said as she smiled lovingly at the baby._

Balinor waved his hand toward the stone and the image froze on her smiling face. Uther and Ygraine looked at Balinor and saw that he was staring at the picture, sorrow and pain swirling in his eyes which were shining with unshed tears. Uther stood from his seat and walked over to his friend. He crouched down beside Balinor and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Tell me about her?" he requested.

Balinor didn't take his eyes off the image of his wife.

"She was so kind. I think that's the first thing about her I fell in love with. Her kindness. And she was so trusting. She always tried to see the good in people and always gave others the benefit of the doubt. She never wanted to believe that other people could be bad. Merlin is so much like her in that regard. She was always finding the silver lining. Even when things weren't the best, she still found something to be happy about or thankful for. She never let anything get her down and she always found a solution to every problem. She was beautiful inside and out. She had such a beautiful and wonderful soul. That was another thing I loved about her, she wasn't shallow and vain and only pretty on the outside and nothing more. Her soul is what I fell in love with first. Her kindness and caring. She loved Arthur as her own from the moment she saw him. It didn't matter that he wasn't her blood, he was still hers. She was a light in a dark room and when I was with her, the world seemed a little less bleak."

As he finished speaking, a single tear rolled down his cheek. That one tear seemed to break the dam and several more joined the first as silent tears ran down his cheeks. Uther squeezed his shoulder in silent support and sympathy. Balinor dropped his head onto his arms, which were folded over the back of the chair, and wept.

He stayed like that but a moment, however, before Uther gently pulled him into his arms and held him as he finally allowed himself to grieve.

**)()()(**

A while later, there was a knock on the door. It opened to reveal Merlin and Arthur. The two boys entered to see their father, Uther, and Ygraine talking and laughing about what sounded like a story of the two boys as children.

"Ah, there you two are," Balinor said when he saw them. "We were just talking about you."

"Nothing too embarrassing I hope," Merlin said.

"Don't worry, I'm saving all of the embarrassing stories for when you two are present," Balinor said, causing Merlin and Arthur to groan. "But that can wait until later. Arthur, Uther and Ygraine would like to speak with you. Merlin, you and I have somewhere to go."

Both boys nodded and Balinor exited the room, Merlin in tow. He closed the door behind them and began walking up the hall.

"Where are we going?" Merlin asked, falling into step beside his father.

"There's someone I want you to meet," Balinor replied.

"Who?"

"You'll see."

They walked down a few hallways before they came to a small wooden door. Balinor knocked lightly on the door. There was a muffled 'enter' from inside and Balinor opened the door. Merlin looked inside to see an old man leaning over some sort of potion sitting on a table in the middle of the small room. Balinor stood quietly right inside the door, Merlin behind him. After a moment, the old man looked up. As his eyes landed on Balinor the man froze in surprise for just a moment before a wide grin spread across his face.

"Balinor!" he exclaimed, coming forward to hug the sorcerer. "I'd heard rumors in town that you were back but I scarcely dared to hope."

"It is good to see you old friend," Balinor said, returning the embrace.

"And who might this be?" the man said, catching sight of Merlin.

"This is my son, Merlin. Merlin, this is your Uncle Gaius, the Court Physician."

"Hello, my boy," Gaius said offering his hand to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gaius," Merlin said, shaking his hand.

"Likewise," the physician replied. He suddenly looked back at Balinor as he seemed to remember something. "Balinor, what of young Arthur?" Gaius asked, worriedly.

"He's here in Camelot. He's with Uther and Ygraine at the moment," Balinor assured him.

"Good," Gaius sighed in relief. "I will have to meet him soon."

"How about tonight? We're all going to-" Balinor was cut off by Merlin's excited voice.

"Wow, you have books on magic?" he exclaimed as he looked at the bookshelf.

"Gaius has books on many things," Balinor said. "You could actually learn a lot from him. He knows quite a bit about magic, especially healing magic."

Merlin picked up one of the books and began to flip though it.

"You can borrow that if you like," Gaius said.

"Really?" Merlin asked excitedly.

"Of course! You may borrow any of my books, anytime you like."

"Thank you! I'm going to start reading it right now."

"Oh, no you don't. If you start that book now, you'll be gone for the rest of the evening. We are having evening meal with Uther and Ygraine. You can read the book after," Balinor said.

"Yes Father," Merlin said glumly.

"Speaking of which, you are invited as well, Gaius."

"Thank you. I would very much enjoy that," Gaius replied.

"Good, then it's all settled."

"But first I need a few herbs from town that I forgot to pick up," Gaius said.

"I can get them for you," Merlin offered. "I want to explore the town. If you tell me what you need I'll pick it up."

"That would be a great help. Thank you," Gaius said.

"Just make sure you're back in time to eat," Balinor reminded.

"I will," Merlin said.

He took the list Gaius handed him and took off out the door without so much as a goodbye.

"That boy," Balinor muttered, shaking his head.

"Just like his father," Gaius said under his breath.

"I heard that," Balinor said.

"I meant for you to."

Balinor huffed indignantly and scowled at the physician.

"So you married my sister," Gaius said out of the blue.

"How did you know that?" Balinor asked incredulously, surprise momentarily overriding the feelings of sadness that now came at the thought of his wife.

"You did introduce me as Uncle Gaius," the physician said with a raised eyebrow. "And besides that, I can see her in Merlin," Gaius explained. "So where is she? I assume you brought her with you," Gaius said, not noticing Balinor's sad expression right away.

"My Friend, I am afraid I must be the bearer of bad news," Balinor said sadly.

"What happened?" Gaius asked, knowing it was bad.

"Yesterday, she was hit by a rogue blast from Azrial and she was killed. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"As am I, My Friend," Gaius said sadly, laying a gentle hand on Balinor's shoulder. "As am I."

**)()()(**

Arthur watched his father and brother leave the room before turning to Uther and Ygraine. He forced himself to remain still and not show the nervousness he was feeling. This was the first time he had been alone with his 'parents.' In fact it was only the second time he had even seen them and he was just a bit uncomfortable and more than a bit out of his depth.

"Arthur," Ygraine said gently.

"Your majesty," Arthur said with a short bow as his father had taught him growing up.

"Please don't address us in such a formal manner," Ygraine requested.

Arthur's mind froze. He had been afraid of this. They wanted him to call them 'mother' and 'father.' They wanted to act as if he had never left and they wanted to replace his parents. His _real _parents. He couldn't do it. He couldn't call these strangers by the titles reserved for Hunith and Balinor only. He couldn't, he _wouldn't, _betray them like that. But he still had to respond. He couldn't just keep standing there staring at the king and queen.

"What-" he cleared his throat and swallowed, "What do you wish me to call you?" he asked not really wanting to know the answer.

For a long moment, Queen Ygraine looked him in the eye and Arthur found himself involuntarily holding his breath as he waited for her to speak.

"Call me Ygraine. Just Ygraine," she said.

Arthur let out the breath he had been holding and almost collapsed with relief.

"I think I can do that," he said with a relieved smile, letting the queen know that she had chosen the right response.

"And you may call me Uther," Uther said, following his wife's example.

"All right," Arthur said. He was beginning to think that these people weren't so bad after all. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"We would like for you to tell us about yourself. About your life, your childhood memories. What you like to do, what you like to eat. We want to know everything. We want to get to know you," Ygraine said.

"And if you have any questions for us, feel free to ask them," Uther added.

Arthur felt another wave of relief wash over him. They just wanted him to talk about himself. That was something neutral, something safe. He could that.

"Where would you like me to start?" he asked taking a seat, the king and queen following suit.

"Anywhere you want," Ygraine replied.

So Arthur began talking about the subject that came most naturally to him: his brother.

* * *

**Drop me a review and let me know if you liked it! :)**

**Next Chapter: Azrial tries again. **


	9. Attack! Again

**A/N Wow! I am shocked by all the reviews for the last chapter! Thank you guys so much! And here I was afraid you guys might not like the last chapter and it ended up being the most reviewed one yet! Thanks!**

**Thanks to _Cattie V _for the beta!**

**Thanks to all of you awesome reviewers:**

_**xXTheDragonRiderXx**_

_**Method in Madness**_

_**Merthurfan1**_

_** savannah . araiza . 5**_

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_**rmatri540**_

_**Mokuren no Ken**_

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_**Bagel-chan**_

_**ToothlessDragons**_

**Attack!... Again**

"Seriously, I don't think that boy has ever been on time in his life. He was late being born and he's continued the same way ever since," Balinor said jokingly as he, Uther, Ygraine, Gaius, and Arthur sat around the table waiting on the young warlock to show up.

"Oh, I'm sure he just found something interesting and lost track of time," Ygraine said understandingly.

"Well, I'm sure we're all hungry so why don't we go ahead without him. There's no reason why we should wait," Balinor said.

"It's perfectly fine if we wait for him," Ygraine said, Uther and Gaius nodded their agreement.

"That's not necessary. Besides it'll teach him not to be late next time," Balinor assured.

"Very well," Uther said and motioned the servants to bring them their food.

**)()()(**

Merlin had been doing a little exploring after getting the herbs for Gaius, when he came across some children playing. Somehow, they knew he had magic and wanted to see some, and Merlin being Merlin, of course couldn't turn them down, so he gave them a little light show. Light of all different colors arced and danced through the air all around them in a beautiful and intricate display amidst the 'ooh's' and 'ah's' of the children.

He finished the light show and an idea struck him. He conjured up several balls of light, all different colors and sizes. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent them darting and bouncing in all directions as the children ran after them laughing and yelling.

Merlin was so engrossed in watching the children, that time got away from him until he heard the castle bell ringing, signaling the time.

"Oh no! I'm late!" he cried.

He extinguished the light balls resulting in several disgruntled shouts.

"Sorry, but I have to go. I'm late," Merlin explained hastily.

This was met with a chorus of 'aw, do you have to' and 'no, not yet.'

"Sorry, I have to, but I'll be back sometime. All right?" he said, succeeding in placating them a bit.

He quickly said his goodbyes and set off for the castle, knowing that he was going to be in trouble with his father if he didn't hurry.

He was walking along a more deserted area. One of the castle's outer walls was to his right and on his left was a small stretch of clear land before it turned into the vast forest that surrounded the castle. Suddenly he felt a presence behind him and turned to see who it was but he wasn't quite fast enough as he felt a hand grab him by the neck and slam him against the wall. His head slammed against the stone and he saw stars. After a moment, his vision cleared and he found himself looking into the evil, hate-filled eyes of none other than Azrial himself.

Merlin's eyes widened in alarm as he stared at the man who wanted him dead. This was bad.

"You, Little Runt, are no match for me. Not without your daddy and his precious beasts and they're not here to help you this time. At long last I will finally have my revenge," Azrial said, then cackled insanely.

Suddenly Azrial's eyes turned red and Merlin's world exploded into pain and he went ridged. He felt like his insides were being ripped apart and his whole body felt like it was being squeezed, pummeled, and burned all at the same time. He tried to scream but no sound would come from his uncooperative throat. Merlin reached for his magic but the pain made it impossible to concentrate. Instinctively, his magic rebelled against the onslaught but without his guidance to focus it, it wasn't strong enough to fight off the evil sorcerer's spell.

The pain became too much and Merlin couldn't take it anymore. With one last instinctive burst, his magic did the last thing it could. It reached out for help.

_Arthur, _he thought.

Then darkness overtook him and he knew no more.

**)()()(**

Uther, Ygraine, Gaius, and Balinor were talking about something that Arthur was hardly paying attention to as he ate. Something was wrong. He could feel it. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

Suddenly he felt something brush against his mind and a single word penetrated his thoughts.

_Arthur._

He recognized Merlin's voice immediately and the overwhelming pain and fear he felt made his heart stop and caused him to drop his knife, the utensil clattering onto his plate.

At the sudden and startling sound, the conversation cut off and everyone's attention snapped to Arthur who had a strange look on his face and a vacant look in his eyes, as if he was not seeing the wall he was staring at but instead was looking right through it.

Before anyone could say anything, though, Arthur leapt to his feet so fast his chair turned over, but he didn't pay it any attention as he sprinted full tilt toward the open doors.

"Arthur! What's wrong?" Balinor called after him.

Just before Arthur disappeared through the door, he shouted one word over his shoulder.

"Merlin!"

Balinor didn't need anymore information as he took off running after his son, vaguely aware that Uther, Ygraine, and Gaius were following.

Arthur instinctively knew where Merlin was, so he ran out of the castle, past the lower town, and into a deserted area by one of the outer walls. He sped around a corner and stopped in his tracks. There, standing in front of him was Azrial, holding a limp Merlin by the neck, and from where he was standing, Arthur couldn't tell if his brother was still alive.

An overwhelming anger, the likes of which Arthur had never experienced before, surged through him and, with a roar of outrage, he drew his dagger and threw it straight for Azrial's heart.

Unfortunately, Azrial saw it at the last minute and released Merlin, who crumpled to the ground, as the evil man leapt backward. The knife missed the wicked man's heart and instead buried itself up to the hilt in his left thigh.

Azrial howled in pain and stumbled backward. He wrenched the dagger out of his leg and threw it to the ground before covering the wound with his hand as he tried to stem the rapid flow of blood. He turned blazing eyes on Arthur who froze as he realized he was no longer armed and had no way of defending himself. Azrial opened his mouth to recite a spell when, out of nowhere, Balinor appeared behind the young prince and a moment later, the king and queen came around the corner to stand behind the dragonlord.

Azrial snarled in anger. He couldn't stay there any longer. He didn't have the strength to fight Balinor, as blood drained out of his leg. He would have to leave and lick his wounds before engaging them again, but he vowed upon his dead brother's life that the next time he came after them he would not back down, no matter how many dragons came. He was done running. Next time, he was going to finish this. Either he would get his revenge or die trying.

With one last hate-filled glare he disappeared, leaving behind the five people he hated most.

The moment Azrial disappeared, Arthur took off at a dead run, covering the remaining distance between him and his brother in seconds. He slid to his knees beside Merlin, who was starting to stir, and gently raised him up and sat behind him so that Merlin could lean back against Arthur's chest.

"Merlin?" Arthur said, looking at Merlin who was pale and breathing raggedly.

"Arth... ur?" Merlin croaked.

"Yeah, it's me."

Balinor came up and knelt down beside the two boys. Immediately, he could feel Azrial's hatred lingering around Merlin in the form of the evil man's magic.

"Merlin? Come on, Son. Open your eyes," Balinor gently prodded.

With great effort, Merlin dragged open his eyelids and looked around blearily.

"Father?"

"I'm right here," he said, touching Merlin's shoulder. "Look at me."

Merlin's eyes swung towards the touch and he forced the blurry image of his father to come into focus.

"Merlin, Azrial's magic is still hurting you. It's poisoning you. You need to purge it from your system," Balinor said.

"I... I don't know how," Merlin replied when his muddled brain finally made sense of Balinor's words.

"Your magic does. Just let it work," Balinor said.

Arthur felt Merlin relax against him as his eyes closed. After a moment, blue light appeared and seemed to swirl around Merlin. Arthur could feel a power, incredibly strong and yet so gentle, that he instantly knew was Merlin but he could also feel a weaker power that was extremely cold and angry and seemed to match the streaks of blackened red intermixed with the blue in places. Arthur guessed that the red must be from Azrial but it slowly seemed to dissolve and dissipate and after a few minutes, there was nothing left but pure blue light. The light remained a moment longer before fading away and allowing Arthur to get a good look at Merlin again.

He looked much better. His color had returned and his breathing was normal again. Merlin opened his eyes and they were much sharper and clearer than before.

"How do you feel?" Balinor asked.

"Much better. I feel normal again," he said.

"Good," Balinor said before he and Arthur helped Merlin stand up.

Merlin stood still a moment, regaining his balance before letting go of his father and brother with a 'thank you.'

"What happened?" Uther said, coming forward.

"I was exploring when I found some children playing and they wanted to see some magic. I guess I let the time get away from me and I was trying to hurry so I wouldn't be late when it felt like someone was behind me. Before I could turn around Azrial grabbed me and slammed me into the wall."

Merlin winced and touched the back of his head. Balinor reached over and inspected the lump that had formed where Merlin's head had collided with the stone wall.

Balinor whispered a word and Merlin immediately felt the pain fade as his father's magic healed him.

"Thank you," Merlin said before turning back to the king and continuing his recount of events. "He said that, without my father or the dragons that I was defenseless and that he was going to take his revenge. Then I felt this overwhelming pain. It was so bad I couldn't focus my magic. Somehow I managed to call out to Arthur, then everything went black until a few minutes ago."

"Azrial has no fear and certainly no honor," Uther spat. "From now on, neither of you boys go anywhere alone. You must have at least one other person with you at all times."

"And each other does not count as one other person. Even if you are both together you still need someone else with you or at least be in a place with other people around. You are both targets and it's just too dangerous for you two to be secluded especially outside of the castle," Balinor added.

Merlin and Arthur nodded. Under normal circumstances, they would have protested the extreme measures but after everything that had happened, they weren't about to argue.

"Come on, Merlin. You need to eat, then get some rest," Balinor said as he saw the fatigue written plainly on his youngest son's face. "And we'll also have Gaius look you over to be safe. Speaking of Gaius, where is he? I thought he was right behind us."

Almost as if Balinor's words had summoned him, Gaius finally appeared, having taken a much slower pace than the others had from the castle.

"Ah Gaius, we need-"

"Yes, I heard most of what was said," Gaius said, cutting off Balinor's explanation.

He walked over and gave Merlin a critical look.

"All right, bring him to my chambers. I'll look him over, then maybe we can get some food into him before he blows away in the wind," Gaius said, already shuffling off toward the castle entrance.

"That sounds pretty good," Merlin agreed.

His father gently gripped his shoulder and steered him after Gaius, the others following closely behind as they made their way back into the castle.

"Oh, and Gaius?" Merlin said, pulling something green from his pocket and holding it out to the physician. "I got your herbs."

**)()()(**

Azrial cursed as he reappeared in his hideout. He wasn't sure who he hated more at that moment, Uther and Balinor, or their sons. When he thought about it, it didn't really matter.

He hobbled over and sat in a nearby chair and began the task of healing his wound.

He was done playing games. He was going to kill them all, Balinor, Uther, their brats, all of them. And he was done retreating as well. The next time he faced them it would only end in death and he was going to ensure that it wasn't his. All he needed was a little... _help._

An evil grin slowly spread across the sorcerer's face as a plan began to unfold in his mind. This time, he wouldn't fail. This time, he would be ready, and his revenge would finally be complete.

* * *

**Let me know what you thought! :)**

**Next Chapter: Balinor confronts Arthur about the young man's emotions and Arthur and Merlin get into a bit of mischief.**


	10. Emotional Turmoil and a Bit of Mischief

**A/N Thank you guys so much! We made it to triple digit reviews! I am so ecstatic right now you don't even know. This is the first time I've reached triple digit reviews on a multi-chapter (non-one-shot series) fic. And it's all thanks to you guys! **

**Okay, this one is a bit of a filler but after this we start building toward the climax.**

**Thanks to _Cattie V_ for the beta!**

**Thanks to you awesome reviewers!**

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**Emotional Turmoil and a Bit of Mischief**

A few days later, Arthur was wandering the halls of the castle in search of his wayward brother. Sir Leon followed a few feet behind him, fulfilling the roll of Arthur's 'one other person' as his father, or technically his "fathers,"had instructed_. _The thought of his blood father had Arthur's mind wandering back to the conversation he had had with the king and queen a few days prior.

It had gone surprisingly well. Arthur had talked a lot about his life and himself and had even felt comfortable enough to ask a few questions of the two royals. And his other encounters with them had been nothing but pleasant. He thought they were very nice and he found himself actually beginning to like them. And therein lay the problem.

He didn't want to like them. He wanted to _not_ like them or at the very least, not care one way or the other. On the way to Camelot, he had promised himself that he wouldn't grow to care for them. Uther and Ygraine Pendragon were not his parents and he didn't want them to take that place in his heart.

Oh, how much easier it would be if they were arrogant, distasteful people. Why did they have to be so kind and understanding?

Arthur was so absorbed with his thoughts, that he almost ran right into his father before he even realized he was there.

"Whoa, Arthur," Balinor said as he pulled up short to avoid colliding with his oldest son. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Oh, uh, I was just looking for Merlin," Arthur said distractedly.

Balinor gave Arthur a long hard look before making a decision.

"Come with me," he said and steered Arthur up the hall and into one of the unused rooms.

Balinor had noticed Arthur becoming more withdrawn as he seemed to be debating some internal problem. The dragonlord had a pretty good idea what was bothering the young man and it was about time that they had a talk about it. Actually, it was past time for Balinor to talk to Arthur.

"Leon, will you please wait out here?" he addressed the knight.

"Yes, My Lord," Leon replied before taking up position outside the door.

Balinor entered the room and shut the door behind him.

"All right, what's wrong?" Balinor said, cutting right to the subject.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine," Arthur said.

"Don't give me that," Balinor said. "I've known you all your life and that means I know when something is bothering you. Now, what is it?"

Arthur sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get out of it.

"It's just, King Uther and Queen Ygraine," Arthur said.

"What? Don't you like them?" Balinor asked.

He knew what was bothering Arthur but he wanted his son to talk it out himself.

"No, I actually do like them a bit, and I suppose that's the problem," Arthur admitted.

"How is that a problem?" Balinor asked.

"Well, it's just that- I just feel like..."

"Like you'll be betraying your mother and I if you let them love you?" Balinor asked knowingly.

"Well, yes," Arthur said and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck as he stared at his feet.

"Arthur. Look at me," Balinor said and waited until Arthur was looking at him before continuing. "Your mother and I raised you and we love you and we will always be your parents but Uther and Ygraine are your parents too, your blood parents. They may not have raised you but they do love you and they are not trying to replace me or your mother. It is all right to have more than two parents and it is all right to love them. You know what your mother would say if she were here."

Arthur smiled softly. Yes, he knew what she would say.

"The heart never runs out of room and it never runs out of love because it can always make more of both," Balinor quoted the phrase Hunith had often repeated over the years. "Your mother and I will always hold a special place in your heart but it's all right to let Uther and Ygraine in as well, if you want. You are not going to love us any less by loving them. Believe it or not, your mother and I actually talked about the eventuality of you meeting your birth parents."

Arthur looked at him in surprise.

"We always knew there would come a day when you would finally know the truth and meet Uther and Ygraine. We both knew that you wouldn't stop loving us but we also knew that you had a right to know and even love your blood parents, and we were fine with that because blood only makes you related but unconditional love makes you family. If you love us and you love Uther and Ygraine too then that's all that matters. Blood, titles, relations, none of that really means anything. Love, love is what matters and people have an infinite capacity to love. You can love me, your mother, your brother, _and _Uther and Ygraine equally and without hurting anyone's feelings. If your mother were here she would agree completely with me when I say you are _not _betraying us by letting your birth parents get to know you and love you and care about you. And you are not betraying us if you grow to love them too. All right?"

Arthur nodded and swallowed thickly.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

Balinor pulled Arthur into a quick embrace before speaking again.

"And if, eventually, you get to the point that you wish to call Ygraine 'Mother' and Uther 'Father' that is fine also," he added.

A small smile spread across Arthur's face.

"There might be a small problem with that," he said.

"What?" Balinor asked, confused.

"Well, say I walk into a room where you and Uther are and I say 'Father' how are you going to know who I'm calling," he asked.

"Well, I suppose you'll just have to figure something out," he said.

"So I can call you whatever I come up with?" Arthur asked, a teasing glint in his eye.

Balinor knew Arthur was leading him somewhere with the line of thought, but he still took the bait.

"I suppose."

"All right, then you'll be Prince Father and Uther will be King Father," Arthur said with a joking smile.

Balinor just shook his head.

"Go find your brother before he gets himself into trouble," Balinor said. "And be sure to take Leon with you."

As Arthur walked out of the room, Balinor wondered why he had sent his oldest child to keep his youngest out of trouble, because when it came to mischief and, more specifically, _staying out_ of mischief, it was literally the blind leading the blind with those two. Balinor chuckled as he walked out of the room knowing that later he would probably hear about some sort of foolishness happening that could somehow be connected to Arthur and Merlin.

As long as those two boys were around, life promised to never be dull. Camelot was in for the ride of its life.

**)()()(**

Sure enough, a few hours later, Balinor was in the throne room talking with Uther and Ygraine when two boys who could vaguely be identified as Arthur and Merlin were marched into the room by Sir Leon. Balinor took one look at them and let out a deep sigh of resignation. Both Merlin and Arthur were soaked from head to toe but that wasn't the interesting part. It was the fact that their skin, their hair, and their clothes were dyed purple and they were dripping purple liquid onto the throne room floor.

"You didn't have another pie fight did you?" Balinor asked taking the whole thing in stride as Uther, Ygraine, Sir Leon, and another knight who had been giving a report to the king, all gaped at the spectacle that was their two young princes.

"No," Arthur replied.

"Not exactly," Merlin added.

"Well, what exactly _did _happen?" Balinor asked.

"Well... you see... we..." Merlin stammered as he shifted uncomfortably.

"They were found wrestling in a vat of fermenting wine," Leon answered.

"Boys, how many times do I have to tell you to not roughhouse around food?" Balinor said, his tone exasperated but his face struggling to hide a smile.

"It was an accident," Merlin said.

"We were just exploring when Merlin-"

"Oi! It wasn't my fault!" Merlin cried, interrupting his brother.

"It doesn't matter who started it," Balinor intervened before an argument began.

"Anyway, we started to wrestle, then we sort of slipped," Arthur continued.

"Slipped?" Balinor repeated.

"We weren't watching what we were doing and we fell into the vat," Merlin explained.

"Where, instead of climbing out like normal people would, you simply continued your fight, regardless of the several feet of wine you were in," Balinor said sarcastically.

"Uh, yeah," Arthur admitted as he and Merlin looked suitably chastised.

Balinor couldn't contain himself anymore and he began to laugh.

"Well you sure are going to have a fun time trying to get the purple out of your skin and hair," Balinor said.

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other and winced. It was going to take some mighty strong scrubbing to get the stain off of them.

"Well off with you before that becomes permanent, and in the future stay away from the wine vats," he said.

Arthur and Merlin nodded then turned and walked out of the throne room, their clothes dripping purple droplets behind them and their boots squishing and trailing purple footprints in their wake.

Balinor simply shook his head at the absurdity of it all.

"Does that happen often?" Uther asked in disbelief as he, Ygraine, and the few others in the room gawked at the two unsightly boys who were squishing out of the room.

Balinor laughed at their reactions.

"If a week goes by without at least _something_ like that happening, then those boys must be deathly ill," he replied with a chuckle.

"It must have been interesting living with them all these years," Sir Leon said.

"Oh, you have no idea!" Balinor said, then began to tell them stories of some of Arthur's and Merlin's exploits.

It wasn't long before the throne room was filled with laughter.

**)()()(**

About an hour later, a slightly purple tinted Merlin and Arthur met in Arthur's room.

"Well it mostly came off," Merlin said, trying to find a silver lining.

"Along with most of our skin," Arthur said and both boys winced.

"Maybe if we wear purple tunics we'll blend in?" Merlin suggested as they took note of their grape dyed skin.

"Easy for you to say," Arthur grumbled. "You have black hair so you can't see the color but my hair is purple!" Arthur moaned.

Merlin fought back a smile as he looked at his brother's once golden locks which were now a nice shade of lavender.

"Come on, it's not that bad. I'm sure no one will notice," At Arthur's disparaging look he added, "or you could wear a hat."

"Merlin, sometimes you are completely useless," Arthur said before walking behind the dressing screen to change.

**)()()(**

Meanwhile, in a secret place a fair distance from the castle, Azrial smiled to himself as he surveyed the camp of sorcerers that had formed outside the shack he called home. Many sorcerers had answered his call and more arrived every day. Soon, very soon, he would have enough allies to form a small army, with each and every one of them possessing some level of magic.

Then... then Camelot would fall.

* * *

**Let me know what you think! :)**

**Next Chapter: Azrial returns to Camelot for the last time.**


	11. So It Begins

**A/N Sorry this one is a bit on the short side but it kind of needed to end here instead of being part of the next chapter. The next one will be a little more normal length. :)**

**Thanks to _Cattie V _for the beta!**

**Thank you to all of my AWESOME reviewers! (Also thanks so much to those who were not logged in. I couldn't thank you via PM so I will thank you here. Thanks!)**

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**So It Begins**

Azrial stepped out of the trees, his army of nearly sixty sorcerers right behind him. He paused a moment and let his eyes roam over the castle. His gaze caught on two people standing out on one of the high balconies. The king and his pet sorcerer stood side by side looking out toward the tree line. Azrial gave the king a fleeting look before his eyes met those of the court sorcerer standing beside him.

For a long moment, Azrial and Balinor stared at each other, their gazes locked. Then the stare was broken off as Balinor raised his arm and cast a barrier around the castle. Azrial smirked. The barrier would keep out his less powerful 'allies' but, to begin with, he had only brought them along to keep Camelot's defenses occupied, as he exacted his revenge. It would be no challenge for him to walk right through. A few seconds later, Balinor disappeared back into the castle and Azrial began to walk toward the castle gates.

"So it begins," Azrial said with a maniacal grin.

**)()()(**

Balinor wondered through the castle halls with no real destination in mind. It had been several days since their last encounter with Azrial. Everything had been going well. Arthur had started warming up to Uther and Ygraine and Merlin absolutely loved living in a castle. On the whole, everything had been normal, happy, and completely quiet.

Now most people would see that as a good thing but Balinor couldn't help but feel that it was only the calm before the storm. And a mighty and horrible storm it was going to be. While he was glad for the reprieve, a sense of foreboding hung over him and it grew with each passing day.

As he wandered through the halls, he passed by the throne room. He walked inside and moved over to the old table sitting to one side of the room. He ran his hand over the surface of it before taking a seat and letting memories wash over him.

"The last time I sat at this table was twenty years ago," he said as he heard footsteps that he easily recognized as Uther's. "You were pacing a hole in the floor. You were a complete mess and I couldn't calm you down if my life depended on it, even though my sanity sure did," Balinor said with a chuckle as Uther came to stand behind him. A moment later his smile fell and his expression turned sad once more. "Back then, the only thing we had to worry about was Ygraine and the birth of Arthur. It's amazing how everything can change in an instant. And I wonder... I can feel..."

"I know. I feel it too," Uther said, resting a hand on Balinor's shoulder.

"This is all going to come to a head very soon, and I cannot help but fear that it will not end as we hope it will," Balinor said softly.

"Whatever comes, we will face it together, always," Uther said, squeezing Balinor's shoulder.

A small smile crossed Balinor's face as he reached up and laid his hand over Uther's, squeezing it gently in silent agreement.

"Sire!"

Uther and Balinor looked up as a guard burst into the throne room.

"It's Azrial! He is approaching the castle with an army of sorcerers!"

Uther and Balinor ran out of the throne room and out onto a balcony that offered a view of the area outside of the castle. They looked out into the night to see a large group of about fifty to sixty people, Azrial at the front, standing near the forest, just outside of the treeline. Under normal circumstances, that small of a number would not even come close to being enough men to overtake Camelot. These men, however, were not normal. Each and every last one of them had magic of some kind in varying strengths. Balinor could sense the magic in the crowd. Balinor himself was pretty powerful when compared to an average sorcerer and individually he could easily defeat any of the sorcerers in the group, save Azrial, but all together they would eventually overpower the dragonlord and possibly even all of Camelot.

As he looked at the assembled group, Balinor's eyes met those of his long time nemesis. For a long moment, their gazes remained locked before Balinor raised his hand in front of him and muttered a few words in the ancient language. With a golden flash of his eyes a blue shield appeared in front of the castle walls and spread outward until it became a dome over the entire castle.

"That should keep out most magical attacks," Balinor told Uther, "but Azrial will still be able to get inside the castle easily. I will intercept him."

"I will come with you," Uther instantly replied.

"No! Uther you are no match for Azrial, all you would do is be in my way and possibly get yourself killed which is something I will not allow as long as there is breath in my body. And aside from that, someone needs to make sure Arthur and Merlin get to safety. They are the reason Azrial is here. They are who he is after. If he gets his hands on them it will not matter what you or I do, he will have won and all hope will be lost. You must protect them and keep them safe and I must confront Azrial and at the very least buy all of you as much time as I can."

As much as Uther loathed leaving his brother to deal with that madman all by himself, he knew Balinor was right. He met Balinor's eyes and gave a solemn nod.

Balinor gave one quick nod in return then turned to leave but was stopped before he even reached the door.

"Balinor," Uther whispered as he laid a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Balinor turned and met Uther's eyes. They both knew the odds of them beating Azrial and coming out of this unscathed were pretty slim.

"I know," Balinor said, once again reading the unspoken words in Uther's eyes.

Normally Uther would leave it at that, letting the words remain unspoken and instead relying on a silent mutual understanding, but this time was different. This time, one or both of them might not come out of this alive. This could be the last time they saw each other alive, so this time Uther wrapped his arms around Balinor and hugged him tightly, then spoke unreserved and unashamed into the man's ear.

"I love you, Balinor."

"And I you, Uther," Balinor replied.

He stepped back enough to see Uther's face but without breaking contact with him.

"We will see each other again," he said with conviction, staring Uther in the eye, then he leaned his forehead against Uther's and closed his eyes. "I promise." He laid a hand over Uther's heart. "No matter what, I will always be with you. My heart is, and always will be, bound to yours. My king. My friend. My brother."

Without another word, Balinor turned and walked out the door toward the courtyard to intercept Azrial. If he had turned back to look, he would have seen the lone tear that rolled down Uther's face as the king watched the most important person in his life disappear out the door. But Balinor didn't turn back, so he didn't see the tear on Uther's cheek that matched the one that was on his own.

"So it begins," Balinor whispered sadly.

* * *

**If you feel like it (or even if you don't), feel free to drop me a review and tell me what you think! :)**

**Next Chapter: The battle commences. **


	12. Tragedy

**A/N First off, thank you guys so much for all of the reviews! Secondly, next week is my spring break (YES!). I am leaving this weekend to go on a trip for the whole week and there is only a very slight chance that I will have access to any Internet. I will try my absolute best to find some Internet so that I can update for you guys but I can't guarantee it. **

**Thanks to _Cattie V _for the beta!**

**Thanks to the 'as awesome as Merlin' people that are my reviewers!**

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**Tragedy**

Balinor stepped out of the castle into the dark and cloudy night, and stood at the top of the stairs that led down into the courtyard. He looked across the courtyard and his eyes met Azrial's evil gaze.

For a long moment, they stood there, eyes locked. They both knew that this would be their last meeting. Today it would all end, one way or another.

Balinor slowly descended the stairs and moved toward the evil sorcerer. Azrial stepped out of the courtyard entrance and drew closer to Balinor. When they were about twenty feet away from each other they stopped and stared each other down.

"Where is your little brat?" Azrial sneered.

"You leave my son out of this! This is between you and me," Balinor said.

"Not for long," Azrial said and a second later, his eyes flashed red and the fight began.

It began with fire and quickly moved to rocks, wind, water, and eventually lightning, with both sorcerers incorporating several, and even all, of them at once. They also sent energy blasts and force fields and even resorted to taking barrels and crates, which were scattered throughout the courtyard, and flinging them at each other.

They attacked and blocked, and ducked and weaved as they fought on and on. For ten minutes, they fought, with neither man gaining the upper hand. Until Azrial resorted to underhanded tactics. He conjured an illusion of Merlin standing at the top of the courtyard steps.

Balinor saw the illusion out of the corner of his eye and turned to look. It only took him a few seconds to see through the trick but a few seconds distraction was all Azrial needed.

Balinor whipped his head back around just in time to see the lightning blast heading straight toward him. He had just enough time to register what was coming before the blast slammed into the center of his chest and sent him flying backward.

He hit the ground and slid several feet before he stopped. He laid there, struggling to expand his suddenly heavy and uncooperative chest in order to breathe. It was but a moment before there was movement at the edge of his vision as someone approached him.

Balinor felt gentle hands grasp him and he felt himself being lifted into strong arms. He looked up to see Uther looking down at him. Balinor tried to speak but the words would not form. His vision began to dim and he felt himself slipping away. He felt overwhelming regret at the thought that he had failed his sons. He could no longer protect them and he only hoped that the old religion could do it for him. His eyes once again found Uther's face. His friend. His brother.

Through it all, over all the years, they had been there for each other. Even when they were separated by distance, their hearts were still united but now Balinor was going somewhere that Uther could not follow and the dragonlord felt another pain in his chest, this one not caused by Azrial's blast and infinitely more painful. It was a great sorrow. Sorrow at the fact that he had to, once again, leave his brother after finally finding him again, only this time, they were going to be separated by much more than distance. This separation would be complete and it hurt Balinor to think about leaving Uther alone, their connection broken, until the king followed his brother into the afterlife.

Balinor forced his arm to obey him and raised a shaking hand to rest over Uther's heart, hoping, like all of the times before, that Uther would understand what he was saying. That he would know just how much he loved him. Balinor gave Uther a small smile before his hand fell to rest on his chest and his eyes slipped shut.

Balinor's last thought as he drew one final breath was that he looked forward to the day that he and Uther would be reunited, never to be parted again.

**)()()(**

As Balinor left to face Azrial, Uther took off in search of Arthur and Merlin.

"Arthur! Merlin!" the king called as he saw them down the hall.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"Azrial and a small army of sorcerers are attacking the castle. Come with me," Uther ordered.

"Wait! Where's my father?" Merlin asked.

Uther hesitated a moment before answering.

"He went to confront Azrial."

"What?" Merlin cried. "He needs help!"

"No, Merlin!" Uther yelled and grabbed the young man's arm to keep him from running off.

"He went to face Azrial in order to buy us time; to buy me enough time to get you two to safety. He wants you two and if he succeeds in killing you, then all is lost. You two are our priority and your safety makes any sacrifice worth it," Uther reasoned.

Merlin and Arthur looked at him for a long moment, his words, as well as their underlying meaning, sinking in. Uther, and by extension their father, didn't expect him to survive.

"I can't- I-" Merlin stuttered.

He wanted to do as the king asked of him but everything in him screamed for him to try to help his father; to try to save him. He couldn't lose his father. He had already lost one parent he refused to lose another.

"No!" Merlin cried and ripped his arm out of Uther's grasp before sprinting up the hall.

Uther and Arthur took off after him but Merlin was fast and managed to stay out of their reach. Together, the three of them flew through the halls. A few knights, including Sir Leon, saw them rushing by and followed after them. Uther, Merlin, and Arthur burst through the castle doors just in time to see a blast of lightning crash into Balinor and hurl him backward to the ground where he slid ten feet before coming to rest, his chest bloody and smoking as he laid unmoving on the stones.

For a long moment, Uther Pendragon felt as if the world had stopped and he stood frozen trying to comprehend what had just happened. For years, Uther had said that if anything happened to Balinor he would feel it but he hadn't realized just how true that was until that moment. A pain, sharp and agonizing, shot through Uther's chest and for a moment, it felt as if he had been hit by Azrial's blast. Just as fast as the pain hit him, it disappeared, leaving the empty feeling of loss in it's wake.

Unmindful of anything or anyone else around him, he stumbled down the stairs, his legs threatening to give way beneath him. He made it to Balinor and fell to his knees beside him. The king gently slid his arms underneath the dragonlord and held him to his chest.

Balinor sluggishly met the kings eyes and in that look, everything Uther had felt in his heart was confirmed. This was it. There was no last minute escape or miraculous healing. Balinor was dying and there was nothing that could be done to change it.

Tears rolled freely and unashamedly down Uther's face. Balinor's arm slowly rose until his hand rested over Uther's heart. The dragonlord didn't speak but, once again, he didn't have to. His eyes said it all and Uther understood completely. No words were exchanged between the two men but a world of communication passed between them nonetheless.

A small, sad smile crossed Balinor's face before his hand fell from its place, his eyes slipped shut, and he drew one final breath. Then grew still.

There is no worse feeling in the world than for someone to feel their very soul shatter. And it took Uther's breath away. In that moment, Uther felt as if his own life had just ended. Not only did he feel such overwhelming agony in his chest, but there was an unbearable, hollow emptiness. He felt as if his heart, or rather his very soul had been taken from him. He no longer had a will to live, to go on. His very purpose and reason for existing was gone and if he sat in that very spot and didn't move for the rest of his life, he didn't think he would care. He felt so lost; adrift in a sea with no hope of ever finding the shore because his guiding light had been extinguished.

The clouds above finally opened and rain poured down, mixing with the tears on the king's face as if the Earth, or perhaps the old religion itself, was mourning along with him.

He and Balinor were two halves of a whole. They were two sides of the same coin and just as a coin with one side could not exist, neither could a man with half of a heart.

Somehow, through his daze, Uther felt eyes on him and he looked up and met Merlin's gaze. The boy seemed to be silently begging the broken man to deny what the young sorcerer already knew. Oh, how Uther wished he could do just that but, alas, he was forced to give Merlin the slightest shake of his head. Thus, breaking the boy as well.

**)()()(**

When his father went down, Arthur knew it was over. His father was dead just like his mother and the young prince was all but defenseless against the evil sorcerer's magic. Azrial had won. Arthur knew that, but that didn't stop him from trying to carry on the fight.

Arthur raised his sword and ran at Azrial in a feeble attempt to stop the man. He was vaguely aware that Sir Leon and a few knights were following after him. Arthur knew the chances that he would actually succeed were all but nonexistent but he couldn't just stand by and wait to be killed. It wasn't who he was and it wasn't who his father had taught him to be, so he ran forward toward his enemy, determined to go down fighting. He wasn't all that surprised to find that he never reached his target, though.

Azrial sent a wave of magic at him and Arthur was just able to protect himself with his enchanted sword but the knights behind him weren't so fortunate. They went flying backward into one of the stone walls and crumpled to the ground.

Arthur continued forward and was almost to Azrial when the man waved his hand, sending another wave of invisible magic at him. Arthur was too close to defend himself and, as a result, found himself flying through the air toward a pile of crates stacked off to the side, against the wall.

With a grunt, the air rushed out of him and he saw stars as he collided with the crates. He fell to the ground, dazed, and laid there unable to move as he tried to regain his barrings and stave off unconsciousness. He knew he was dead. Azrial would waste no time in finishing him off, but there was nothing he could do to fight back as he struggled to pull air into his starving lungs in order to disperse the black spots dancing in front of his eyes. He couldn't even stand if he wanted to, let alone fight at the moment. So, Arthur closed his eyes and waited for the final blow, a blow that never came. Instead, Arthur suddenly snapped his eyes open as he heard a massive and terrible roar. With great effort, he turned his head to see where the sound was coming from.

His eyes landed on Merlin, standing in the middle of the courtyard, with all eyes on him, tears streaming down his face, and a terrible expression twisting his features as an unearthly sound echoed from his throat.

* * *

***Raises hands in surrender and looks for a place to take cover* Before you guys kill me for killing off another character, just wait until the next chapter! There will be a little surprise which I think will make you guys happy again. **

**Feel free to leave a review and tell me how upset you are! :)**

**Next Chapter: Merlin goes Emrys and kicks butt.**


	13. Power, Victory, Death, and Life?

**A/N YES! I have Internet! And you guys have a chapter! When I finally got Internet I found that my inbox had practically exploded from all of the alerts, favs, and reviews. Thank you guys so much!**

**Thanks to _Cattie V _for the beta!**

**Thanks to my amazingly awesome reviewers!**

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**Power, Victory, Death, and... Life?**

Everything was unraveling around Merlin. It seemed like time had slowed down around him, trapping him in that moment in time and burning the images before his eyes into his brain. To his right, Arthur was laying crumpled on the ground with Azrial advancing toward him and to his left, Uther was kneeling on the ground holding Balinor's still form in his arms. As he stared at the king, Uther seemed to sense Merlin's gaze and he looked up to meet the boy's eyes with tears streaming down his face and mixing with the rain.

His eyes said it all. They held so much loss, pain, devastation, and sorrow that Merlin knew, he knew his father was gone but it was when Uther brokenly shook his head that it became real for Merlin and something inside of him broke.

Merlin felt something strong and impossibly ancient surge deep inside him; a power, the likes of which he had never felt before. It mixed with his grief to form an overwhelming tide that burst from him as he threw his head back and a deep, savage, and pain-filled roar erupted from his throat causing Azrial to stop in his tracks and a slight shiver to run down the spines of those in the courtyard as the sound seemed to shake the very air around them. Never had any of those assembled in the courtyard, ever heard such anger, sadness, and power come from one person at one time.

A moment of silence reigned, then they heard two other roars, far in the distance, answer Merlin's. The only difference was the new roars were not only full of pain but possessed a great amount of anger; one might even say, hatred. It was less than a minute later, that two great and mighty dragons appeared in the sky in the distance, just high enough that those in the courtyard could see them over the castle walls.

They watched as the dragons, one huge and gold, the other a bit smaller and white, suddenly began to dive toward the earth, fire spewing from their maws. They disappeared behind the walls before reappearing seconds later as they swooped back up into the sky, screams of pain and terror following each dragon's dive. Those watching knew without seeing it that the dragons were wiping out the army of evil, merciless sorcerers but those inside the courtyard couldn't bring themselves to pity the black-hearted victims.

Although Azrial knew his army was being slaughtered, he couldn't care less. They had served their purpose and Azrial would prevail without their help. Instead of dwelling on that, the evil sorcerer was focused on something else entirely.

"Dragonlord!" Azrial spat as he glared at Merlin but it was easy to see that there was also fear in his eyes that he was desperately trying to hide. "That means I have succeeded in killing your worthless father," he sneered with false bravado. "Your ability to control those beasts proves that."

Merlin looked at Azrial with more anger and hatred than he had ever experienced in his life and even as tears of sorrow accompanied the rain that rolled down his face, his eyes only held contempt as he looked upon the monster that had not only tried to kill him and his brother but had killed his mother and now his father as well.

Azrial saw the look in Merlin's eyes. The boy had been pushed to his emotional breaking point and he was prepared to kill. That knowledge caused a shot of fear to run through the evil sorcerer. The boy was powerful and now he had no reason to hold himself back. He was going to unleash all of his pain and anger and it was going to be directed at Azrial, but the deluded sorcerer was just stupid or perhaps insane enough to believe that he was powerful enough to do anything, despite evidence to the contrary.

When Merlin spoke, his voice sounded so foreign that if you weren't looking directly at him as he spoke you would never know that it was Merlin speaking. His voice was so dangerous, so deadly, and so full of unbelievably strong and ancient power that even Azrial felt a flash of fear.

"You have made a grave mistake. One which you are going to pay dearly for. This I promise."

He didn't raise his voice, and perhaps that was what made him so scary, but no one within earshot of that voice doubted the words one bit. Azrial tried to brush it off but he couldn't shake the sense of authority and power that radiated from the boy and he found himself feeling a grave sense of foreboding. Something big was about to happen and it wasn't going to be good for the evil sorcerer.

Azrial suddenly realized the grave error he had made. When he killed Balinor, he awoke an ancient and overwhelmingly powerful force that had been laying somewhat dormant inside Merlin and this power had nothing to do with his dragonlord powers; although Balinor's death had also granted the boy that ability as well. No, this power was older and stronger than even the dragons themselves. It was as if the old religion itself was stirring and, unfortunately for Azrial, it was on Merlin's side.

Merlin's eyes began to glow. He said no words and performed no magic and yet his eyes slowly began to glow brighter and brighter, and Azrial could feel an ocean of power rise up in the boy, the likes of which he had never felt in anyone or anything before in his life. Even in a large crowd of powerful sorcerers, Azrial had not felt this level of power. The evil man suddenly stepped back in fear as the only explanation exploded into his mind and sent pure terror racing through his veins.

It couldn't be. He was just a boy. And yet, the power was there as well as a perfect control over it which not even a group of the most powerful sorcerers would have, not with this level of power; but the boy had no trouble holding it and directing it.

In addition to the power that he could feel, Azrial could see something in Merlin's eyes that the evil sorcerer knew he could not and would never be able to understand. It was a mixture of youth and unimaginable age as well as an innocence and naivety mixed with an unending supply of knowledge and wisdom. All of it was there, swirling around in Merlin's young but impossibly old eyes, making the truth undeniable.

"Emrys," Azrial whispered and Merlin's eyes flared brighter at the name.

The others in the courtyard felt an inexplicable feeling of power and wonder at the sound of the name and somehow they knew, just knew, that that name belonged to Merlin and Merlin alone. It was a special name, meant only for him; a name chosen before the dawn of time. How they all suddenly knew this just from hearing that one word they would never know, but they did know it and, whether they knew why they were doing it or not, they looked upon Merlin with wonder in their eyes.

Merlin's eyes were all but blazing with golden power as he looked at Azrial. Then he spoke in a voice that was as ancient as the old religion itself for it was the old religion, in a way, that was speaking, because Merlin and the power he possessed were part of the old religion.

"Your evil and corruption have gone on long enough. You have dirtied the powers of the old religion with your greed, hatred, and your love of causing others pain. You have not only hurt many and disgraced magic, but you have changed the balance of the world with your deeds. The balance must be restored and there is but one way for this to happen."

Azrial stepped backward in fear. He knew the laws of the old religion. He knew how the balance was kept.

"You have had far too many chances to redeem yourself," Merlin said as Azrial began to shake his head, "but you chose to use your magic for selfish and harmful means instead of to help others and benefit the world. You must now pay for your evil ways. The balance must be restored and justice must prevail."

With that, Merlin tipped his head back and began to speak words that were unknown even to Azrial but which held such power that even those in the courtyard that possessed no magic could feel the power emanating from the young man. Merlin's eyes blazed even brighter as he spoke words that were so old that even the dragons wouldn't understand them.

All around the courtyard, pure azure blue shields began to shimmer into existence. Each shield enveloped a person in the courtyard until, one by one, everyone, save Azrial and Merlin himself, were surrounded in a blue barrier of protection. Those in them felt great power but beyond that they felt an overwhelming sense of peace and safety as well as kindness and well being. Even Arthur had not ever felt these things quite in this quantity from Merlin's magic before. Yes he had felt the gentleness and kindness that were uniquely Merlin as well as a feeling of safety but as for the other things he had never experienced these feelings from his brother and for a moment, the emotions the magic provoked were overwhelming.

Once every last innocent person, including Uther who was still holding the now lifeless Balinor, were protected by a blue shield, Merlin's words seemed to change slightly and become harsher and more aggressive and those around him could tell that he was changing from words of calm protection to words of ferocious attack.

As he spoke, the clouds overhead rumbled and, if possible, seemed to grow darker and the rain came down even harder. The sky thundered angrily once more as flashes of light danced through the foreboding darkness above. The flashes became more frequent as Merlin's voice grew louder and the words became faster.

In a blind panic, Azrial threw spell after spell at Merlin, ranging from fireballs to energy blasts and everything in between, but no matter what he did all of the spells were either extinguished or deflected before ever even getting within five feet of the boy. If Azrial hadn't been so afraid for his life, he might have found it amazing that the boy could defend against his spells, while reciting his own and seemingly without even trying.

Then, as Merlin's voice seemed to reach a crescendo, his gaze snapped back to Azrial, he threw out his arm toward the evil sorcerer, and with one final shout, finished the spell, releasing a massive bolt of lightning that arced down to earth and straight toward Azrial. The evil sorcerer had but a moment to register his fate before the massive amount of energy struck him in the chest blasting a hole through his heart and killing him instantly.

As Azrial's body crumpled to the ground, Merlin's eyes once again blazed brighter for a moment before dimming and blinking out altogether, leaving Merlin's eyes his natural shade of deep blue once more.

As the gold faded from Merlin's eyes, the rain that was falling, suddenly changed from the torrential downpour of moments before to a light, soft, and peaceful shower. But this was no ordinary water, everyone in the courtyard knew that. As the blue shields faded and the new rain sprinkled the small gathering, everyone felt a warmth spread through them instead of the cold that the rain should have brought. The warmth spread through their bodies and, with it, a feeling of strength and restfulness. The rain lasted only a few seconds before it stopped altogether, but it left everyone it touched feeling completely rejuvenated as if they had just woken from a long, peaceful night's sleep.

These thoughts were soon banished from everyone's minds, though, as a sharp and very loud intake of breath echoed across the now silent space. Everyone turned toward the direction of the sound only to find that it had come from where the king was kneeling on the stones, but it hadn't come from the king. Rather, it had come from the man cradled in the king's arms.

It had come from Balinor.

Balinor was breathing.

Balinor was alive.

* * *

**See? I told you to wait until this chapter. Now it's all better. Well, except for the little bit of a cliff hanger. Until next week!**

**Send me a review and let me know if this chapter made up for the last one! :)**

**Next Chapter: Uther's perspective of the battle and some happy reunions.**


	14. Welcome Back

**A/N We've hit 200 reviews! Thank you guys so much! I am so happy right now! You guys are awesome! The reviews from last chapter blew me away. Last chapter was the most reviewed chapter of this story and I loved reading each and every one of them. So, thank you guys! Unfortunately, we are winding down. There is only one chapter after this. I am sad that it is ending but I have had a blast writing it and reading your responses to it. :)**

**Thanks to _Cattie V _for the beta!**

**Thank you to each and every reviewer! You guys made my awesome vacation, AWESOME!**

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**Welcome Back**

It would have been so easy for Uther to slip into his lonely world of pain, oblivious to everything around him, and he would have too, were it not for the unbelievable power that Merlin displayed. The overwhelming magnitude of it rooted Uther in reality and he, along with everyone else in the courtyard, watched in awed amazement as Merlin unleashed his mighty power.

The otherworldly roar that burst from Merlin's throat, was something Uther had heard before, but not for many many years. Not since the night of Arthur's birth when Balinor had called the dragons to come to his aid. Uther knew how a drgonlord received his powers and the fact that Merlin was calling the dragon's only confirmed Balinor's death, not that Uther had any doubts about that anyway. His breaking heart made it undeniable.

The dragons answered Merlin's call and began to take care of the army Azrial had brought with him. Uther could feel nothing but relief at that knowledge. Those terrible men wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore.

Then Azrial all but boasted about killing Balinor and for a moment, Uther saw red as his anger overshadowed his pain and he wanted nothing more than to snap Azrial's neck and he probably would have tried but then Merlin spoke.

"You have made a grave mistake. One which you are going to pay dearly for. This I promise."

Uther was taken aback at the raw fury in the normally gentle boy's voice. In that moment, Uther Pendragon felt a shot of fear race up his spine and he was suddenly very glad that he and Merlin were on the same side.

Suddenly, Uther felt as if the very air around him had become charged as a great power rose up in the immediate area. And if Uther, who had no magic to speak of, could feel it then it was astounding indeed.

Azrial seemed to feel the power as well and he finally began to show some fear before he uttered one word.

"Emrys."

No. Could it be? Could Merlin be the one the prophecy, that Balinor had told him about many years ago, spoke of. The one who was prophesied to be the most powerful sorcerer that had lived, did live, or would live?

Yes. Uther knew that it was true. He didn't know how he knew but he did. Merlin was Emrys, there was no denying it. And, of course, Balinor would be the one to father the greatest sorcerer to ever live. That thought brought with it another realization. If Merlin was Emrys then Arthur...

"Oh, My Brother. Our sons are something else," Uther whispered.

He was distracted from his thoughts as Merlin suddenly began speaking in a voice as old as time itself and just as powerful.

"Your evil and corruption have gone on long enough. You have dirtied the powers of the old religion with your greed, hatred, and your love of causing others pain. You have not only hurt many and disgraced magic but you have changed the balance of the world with your deeds. The balance must be restored and there is but one way for this to happen."

If Azrial had looked afraid before, he looked terrified then.

"You have had far too many chances to redeem yourself," Merlin said as Azrial began to shake his head, "but you chose to use your magic for selfish and harmful means instead of to help others and benefit the world. You must now pay for your evil ways. The balance must be restored and justice must prevail."

Then Merlin threw his head back and spoke in a language that Uther could only assume was the language of the old religion. It was impossibly old and full of power and yet the king didn't feel fear this time. In fact he felt something else entirely.

He felt peace and security as he, Arthur, and Sir Leon and the other injured knights were surrounded in wondrous blue light. It reminded Uther of Balinor. In the past, the king had felt much of the same peace and fierce protectiveness from Balinor when he had cast shields around the king. This was similar except it had a distinct Merlin quality to it and it was about ten times more powerful than anything Uther had ever experienced.

Suddenly, the already thick clouds became thicker, the sky, unbelievably, darkened even further, and thunder roiled angrily through the air. In the next moment, a bolt of beautiful yet terrible lightning arced through the air lighting up the previously dark courtyard just long enough for those present to witness the death of the man who had caused so much pain to so many.

Uther watched as Azrial crumpled to the ground and felt some small level of satisfaction at the knowledge that at long last the monster was dead.

"It is finally over, Balinor. Your sacrifice was not in vain," Uther whispered to the still form in his arms.

Now that the battle was finished, Uther's grief returned with a vengeance to crush him along with the reality that they were all safe at last but Balinor, his closest friend, confidant, and family member, was not there. After all they had endured and survived together, they would not get the safe, permanent reunion that they had both desired for so long. Instead of celebrating Azrial's defeat, Uther had to say goodbye and mourn the loss of his brother. the other half of his soul.

A gentle rain replaced the downpour of moments before. It fell lightly on the king, bringing with it an inner peace that soothed his aching heart and relieved him of his unbearable grief.

Uther sighed in relief as his chest loosened and he felt that he could truly breathe once more. He knew that it was a short respite, likely a result of disbelief and shock at the surreal reality that he suddenly found himself in. Or perhaps the numbness was only just then starting to set in.

Either way, he knew it was just a matter of time before the reality of it all would come crashing back down on him again and he would have to accept the truth: his life as he knew it was over. Then he would have to deal with the grief that would return when his heart completely shattered beyond repair. But for the moment, he would savor the absence of turmoil within himself and simply breathe for as long as he could before his chest once again refused to expand and he resumed feeling like he was slowly suffocating.

That all changed, though, when, suddenly, something happened. Something that would cause his heart to leap with joy and never again ache with such overwhelming pain.

Without warning, Balinor's back arched as he gasped loudly and hungrily sucked in a deep lungful of air. He greedily gulped in air as he desperately sought to provide his starving lungs and body with necessary life-giving oxygen.

"Balinor?" Uther asked in hesitant disbelief.

Balinor's eyes flew open and he looked up at Uther a moment before gripping the king's arm and squeezing it gently as his breath continued to come out as ragged panting.

"Balinor!" Uther cried and tears of joy streamed down his face as he hugged Balinor tightly.

"Uther," Balinor whispered breathlessly as he returned the embrace reveling in the fact that he was alive and no longer cut off from those he loved.

As Uther knelt there on the cobblestones, holding his brother in his arms and listening to him breathe, he felt his heart begin to beat again and he felt complete once more as that tether between Balinor and himself became present and he was whole again. The one who held the other half of his soul was alive and their hearts once again beat together in a harmony that neither could achieve without the other.

Uther leaned back and looked Balinor in the eye, a world of communication once again passing between them. Then Uther tipped his head forward until his forehead rested against Balinor's and closed his eyes.

"Thank you, for coming back to me," he whispered.

"Always, My Brother," Balinor replied. "Always."

**)()()(**

As the last bit of gold faded from his eyes, Merlin's energy seemed to drain away leaving him feeling tired, but for the most part, it was a good kind of tired. It took a minute for his mind to catch up with him, but once it did,Merlin stood in stunned silence as the last few minutes washed over him. His father was alive, Azrial was dead, and not only had Merlin been powerful enough to kill him but the young warlock now possessed more power than anyone who had lived, was alive, or ever would live. Now it wasn't just a story that Kilgharrah told him. It wasn't just a prophecy. It was real. He was Emrys. He had felt that power and he could still feel it, there deep inside of him waiting to be called forth again.

The magnitude of it was so great and yet he had had no trouble controlling it. In that moment, when his powers had been unleashed it was as if he was completely connected to all of the magic around him. It wasn't like he was a part of all of the magic in existence but it was as if he could see it all, the magic in the Earth, the air, even in the dragons and other people around him (albeit in extremely small amounts).

He was a creature of the old religion and in those moments when his magic had completely filled his entire being he could feel the old religion itself and the memory of its magnitude took his breath away. He had never felt so powerful or in control before. In those final minutes he had given himself over to the old religion and when he did, suddenly everything had made perfect sense and he knew what had to be done and how to do it.

He turned and looked at Azrial's body. He had killed a man, and yet he didn't feel the guilt he always thought he would feel if he ever had to kill someone. He had had no choice. In order to keep everyone safe, save countless lives, and restore the balance of the world it had to be done. Azrial brought it on himself with the choices he made. It was justified and the powers swirling in the world around him refused to let Merlin accept anything less.

In the last few minutes alone, Merlin had experienced many firsts. His first time to command the dragons, his first time to fully use such power, his first time to kill someone, and his first time to revive someone.

He turned back to where his father sat alive and well where he had laid dead just minutes before and Merlin felt a surge of gratitude towards the old religion for giving him his father back.

Balinor looked up and met Merlin's eyes, jarring the young warlock out of his thoughts. Merlin returned to reality with a jolt and he launched himself forward and ran to his father's side.

"Father!" he cried as he fell to his knees beside Balinor and threw his arms around him.

Balinor wrapped his arms around Merlin and hugged him tightly. After a moment, he released him and hugged Arthur who had finally picked himself up off the ground and made his way (albeit quiet a bit slower than Merlin had, after being slammed into the wall and all) over to their father and knelt beside his brother.

"I'm so glad you're all right," Arthur said as he sat back.

"So am I," Uther added from where he still knelt on the other side of Balinor, "but how? You were dead. How can you even be alive much less completely healed?"

Balinor turned and looked Merlin in the eye.

"Why don't you ask Merlin? He is the one who brought me back."

"How?" Arthur asked, looking at Merlin in amazement.

Arthur didn't doubt for one second that it was true. After witnessing the level of power Merlin possessed, he could believe that his brother could do just about anything. He just wondered how.

"He has power over life and death," Balinor answered.

"When Father was... killed," Merlin stumbled over the word, "it upset the balance of the world and balance must be kept but in order to bring someone back, a price must be paid, a life for a life."

"Azrial," Uther said in understanding.

"Yes. He made his choice. He chose to be evil and he chose to upset the balance. The old religion had to set it right and Azrial had to be punished for his crimes. So his life became forfeit," Merlin explained.

"Well, I can't say I'm sorry. He brought it on himself. I'm just glad it's finally over," Arthur said.

"So am I," Merlin agreed.

"I think it's safe to say that we are all glad that it is finally finished," Balinor declared.

"So Merlin, what did it feel like to be a dragonlord?" Arthur asked excitedly.

"It was amazing. I suddenly knew their language and it was like we were..." Merlin trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Kin?" Balinor suggested.

"Exactly!" Merlin exclaimed. "It was like we were kin."

"You are kin, Merlin," Balinor said with a laugh. "Dragons and their dragonlords are kin."

"Oh, well that explains a few things," Merlin said.

"So, can you still control them?" Arthur asked curiously.

"I'm not sure," Merlin admitted. "Now that Father is alive... I don't know."

"Can you still sense them?" Balinor asked.

Merlin was quiet a moment.

"Yes, I can," he replied.

"Try calling them," Balinor suggested.

Merlin concentrated a minute before throwing back his head and roaring in the dragon tongue. Mere minutes later, Kilgharrah swooped over the castle walls and landed in the courtyard.

"You called, Young Warlock?" Kilgharrah said with a slight smirk (or what passed for a smirk for a dragon) and an amused twinkle in his eye.

"I did it! I can still call them," Merlin cried.

"Does that mean you aren't a dragonlord anymore, Father?" Arthur asked.

"Balinor is still a dragonlord," Kilgharrah assured. "A dragonlord's powers may be passed from father to son only in death, _but _once a drgonlord receives their powers they can never be taken away. Balinor's brief death gave Merlin the powers of a dragonlord but just because Balinor died and Merlin inherited his powers does not mean that Balinor forfeits his dragonlord powers. And just because Balinor lives again does not mean that Merlin is deprived of his new-found inheritance. They are both dragonlords, and the first father and son to have their powers while they both still live. Indeed, this entire family is a great and legendary one at that," the dragon said almost musing to himself. "Emrys, The Once and Future King, and the fathers that sired them. Yes, this is a family that will achieve great and wondrous things, together."

He lifted off from the ground and flew over the castle walls, shouting one last thing over his shoulder.

"And I look forward to witnessing it all!"

* * *

**Drop me a line (i.e. review) and let me know what you think! :)**

**Epilogue: Long lost princes deserve a ceremony to welcome them home.**


	15. Epilogue

**A/N Thanks so much for the reviews guys! Unfortunately, this is the last chapter. I guess all good things must come to an end. :( I've had several people ask about a sequel and I really want to do a sequel but I have not been able to come up with a good idea yet. If anybody has a good idea for a plot and/or a villain please pass it along. Maybe one of you guys can help my brain conjure up some inspiration. :)**

**Also, I don't know really anything about royalty, ceremonies, and lines of secession so please excuse me if I have it completely wrong.**

**Thanks to _Cattie V _for the beta!**

**Once again, thanks so much to all of my awesome reviewers!**

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**Epilogue**

Arthur grunted in frustration as he fought to get the clasp on his cape to cooperate. He was dressed in the finest clothes, over which, he wore the chain mail that Uther had ordered made for him and to top it all off he was wearing a cape. Not only had he never worn such clothing in his life but he had no idea how to make it work.

As it turned out, Merlin and Arthur were both like their father in that, none of them had servants. Of course there were servants that did such things as bring them food and draw their baths, but neither Arthur, Merlin, or Balinor had personal manservants. The three men took care of themselves. Arthur, like his father and brother, knew what it was like to come from humbler circumstances and he didn't feel right having someone wait on him hand and foot when there were people less fortunate than himself who didn't have the same privileges. And besides that, Arthur had spent his whole life without a servant. Why should he need one now?

Arthur was beginning to think that wasn't such a good idea after all. At least a servant would know what to do with the infuriating buckle on the confounded cape.

"Don't you look handsome," Ygraine said as she walked up behind him.

He turned around at the sound of her voice and looked at her as he continued to struggle with the clasp.

"These clothes may make me look good but they certainly try my patience in the process," he replied.

"Don't worry you will get used to it. Here, let me."

She reached up and fixed the clasp on the cape, then smoothed the red material down on his shoulders.

"There," she said, stepping back to look at him.

"Thank you, Mother," Arthur said.

_Mother._

Ygraine's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes sparkled with tears of joy. She reached up and gently caressed Arthur's cheek. Arthur gave her a small smile and after a few seconds, she turned around and walked away before she started crying.

Arthur stood there for several minutes, tapping his foot and waiting for his brother to finally show up.

"Arthur."

Arthur turned at the sound of Uther's voice and walked toward the king who stopped and looked at him a moment.

"Your attire suits you," Uther said, taking in Arthur's appearance. "Dressed like that you truly look like the prince that you are." After a moment, he shook himself and got back to the reason he had approached Arthur in the first place. "Arthur, have you seen your father?" the king asked.

"Not since earlier this morning," Arthur replied.

"I can't seem to find him. If he doesn't show up soon, he's going to be late," Uther said.

"Don't worry. Merlin hasn't shown up either. They'll arrive at the last moment. They always do," Arthur said.

"Like father like son. Balinor complains about Merlin's tardiness and yet he is often the same way," Uther said with a laugh.

"At least Merlin comes by it honestly," Arthur said with a chuckle.

"He does at that. Balinor has always had that tendency. It's good to see that some things don't change," Uther said.

Uther hesitated a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts.

"While I am here, I wondered if I could ask you something."

"Of course," Arthur said.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to take over the training of the knights," Uther said.

"Me?" Arthur asked in surprise.

"Yes. You are more than qualified. Your skills are excellent and traditionally, if there is a Crown Prince it is his place to train the knights," Uther explained.

"But surely my father-"

"Agrees completely with me," Uther interrupted. "I asked him about it and he thought it was a wonderful idea."

When Arthur continued to look unsure, Uther spoke again.

"If it makes any difference, you won't be alone. Merlin will help you."

"Merlin?" Arthur asked incredulously. "He is hopeless with a sword."

"He would be training the knights to fight magic in the event that another evil sorcerer were to attack Camelot. So, you two would be training the knights together," Uther explained.

"Have you told him about this yet?" Arthur asked.

"No, Balinor was going to ask him," Uther answered.

"If Merlin is willing, so am I," Arthur said after a moment.

"Excellent!" Uther said happily.

In the distance, a bell rang, signaling the time and interrupting their conversation.

"The time is getting close. I better go find your father and you probably should take your position," Uther said, almost anxiously.

Arthur inwardly rolled his eyes and allowed himself a small fond smile as he turned to walk back to his 'position,' which was all of five feet away and was where Arthur had been standing for the last half hour until the king himself had called him away. Of course, he didn't mention any of that and instead threw a simple reply over his shoulder.

"Yes... Father."

It took a moment for the word to sink in and when it did, Uther did a double take. A large grin split his face and his eyes sparkled with joy.

"I'll just go find Balinor," Uther said after clearing his throat.

"And if you see my idiot brother, tell him to get his backside down here, or he'll be the one who's late," Arthur added.

"If I see him, I'll send him your way," Uther promised.

"Thank you. And feel free to give him a rap on the head while you're at it," Arthur called earning another laugh from the king.

Uther wondered on up the hall meeting his wife along the way and together they continued through the hallways in search of their wayward sorcerers. After several minutes, Merlin suddenly appeared around a corner.

"Oh, Merlin, you had better hurry up. You don't want to be late," Uther called to him.

"Yes, Uncle Uther," Merlin called. "Aunt Ygraine, beautiful as always," Merlin said kissing the queen's hand as he passed by, earning bright smiles from the royals at the titles he had given them.

"Oh, you're a charmer aren't you? Just like you're father," she said.

Uther started laughing.

"Balinor? Charming?" Uther said. "That's not the definition I would apply to him."

Ygraine elbowed him in the ribs. "Well I think he's charming. Unlike certain people," she said giving Uther a teasing smirk.

Merlin started laughing. "I'll have to tell Father about that one."

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Uther asked in a disgruntled tone of voice.

Merlin just grinned cheekily and jogged up the hall, hurrying to join Arthur.

"Nice of you to show up, _Mer_lin," Arthur said as his younger brother slid to a stop beside him.

"Sorry I'm late," Merlin said.

"Oh, it's no big deal. I mean it's not like we're going to have a ceremony in less than ten minutes. Oh, wait, we are!" Arthur said sarcastically.

"I lost track of time," Merlin explained.

"What else is new?" Arthur said with a roll of his eyes.

Arthur and Merlin were going to be proclaimed Princes of Camelot. Arthur was to officially become Crown Prince and at the insistence of Arthur, Uther, and Balinor, Merlin was to be officially put into the line of succession, right behind Arthur, much to the delight of Balinor and the dismay of Merlin. The former because it put him that much farther from the throne, the latter because it put him that much closer.

"Did you have as much trouble with these confounded clothes as I did?" Arthur asked.

Merlin was dressed similarly to Arthur but lacked the chain mail. Being a sorcerer, Merlin didn't need chain mail and that was usually something that knights and sword fighters wore. And to be honest, it just wasn't Merlin's style. Instead he wore a dark blue doublet and black trousers that were finer than anything he had ever worn before. And, like Arthur, Merlin also wore a cape around his shoulders but his was a deep midnight blue.

"No, I didn't have any trouble. But I always was better at dressing myself than you were," Merlin said.

Arthur made to grab Merlin but his younger brother ducked out of the way.

"Did Father talk to you about the knights?" Arthur asked after a minute.

"Yeah. Isn't it great? We'll be training the knights together!" Merlin said excitedly. "You are going to do it right?" Merlin asked as an afterthought.

"I told Uth- Father- That is my father, or I guess my _other _father. My second father? Father number two? This is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought," Arthur said. "Anyway, I told him if you were in, so was I."

"Perfect! So it's settled, we'll train the knights together. You with the sword and me with magic," Merlin said.

Their conversation was interrupted as Arthur caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see Gwen walking toward them.

"Hello, Gwen," Merlin said upon seeing her.

"Hello, Merlin," she said with a bright smile. "Prince Arthur, " she said with a slight curtsy.

Arthur stood frozen staring at her, his mouth once again partially agape. Merlin rolled his eyes and unobtrusively elbowed his brother in the ribs. Arthur coughed and snapped out of his trance.

"Please, call me Arthur," he said.

"Of course, Arthur," she said. "My, but you both look dashing in those clothes," she said giving them a smile.

"Why, thank you, Gwen," Merlin said.

"Yes, thank you," Arthur said, his cheeks tinged pink.

Arthur would swear to his dying breath that he did not blush, despite Merlin's claim to the contrary.

"Oh you must excuse me," Gwen said. "I must take my seat for the ceremony before I'm late."

They said their goodbyes and Gwen slipped into the throne room.

"Are you ever going to act normal around her?" Merlin asked.

"I was acting normal!" Arthur cried defensively.

"Oh, forgive me I didn't realize that you just standing there staring at her with your mouth hanging open was you being normal, " Merlin said sarcastically.

"You know when you find someone you like, I'm going to tease you mercilessly," Arthur promised.

"Hmm. I wonder what type of girl I will end up liking," Merlin said.

"Knowing you, she'll either be someone who needs help or she'll be a Druid or someone else with some kind of magic," Arthur said, thinking out loud.

Before Merlin could reply, trumpets sounded. The two young men quickly grew serious and stood in their places as the doors to the throne room opened, signaling the start of the ceremony.

Together they walked into the throne room and up the aisle that ran between the many assembled guests. Arthur was in front with Merlin close behind, deferring to Arthur's status as eldest. At the end of the room was three thrones on a raised dais. Uther stood in front of the center throne with Ygraine at his left hand and Balinor at his right.

The two young men reached the thrones and Merlin moved to the side and stood near his father who's place Merlin would take as court sorcerer someday.

Arthur remained standing, facing the thrones and Geoffrey of Monmouth who was standing in front of the steps leading to the thrones and facing the crowd of people.

"People of Camelot, today we welcome Prince Balinor back to Camelot and back to his position as Court Sorcerer, and we crown two new princes. We will crown Arthur Pendragon as heir to the throne and Merlin son of Balinor will officially be placed into the line of succession," Geoffrey announced.

He then had Arthur kneel in front of him before reciting the vows Arthur had to swear to. Once Arthur vowed to serve and protect Camelot, Geoffrey placed the coronet belonging to the crown prince upon Arthur's head.

"Merlin," Geoffrey called.

Merlin walked forward and knelt on Arthur's right side so that they were kneeling side by side, their shoulders almost touching.

"Do you, Merlin, vow to serve and protect Camelot to the best of your ability?" Geoffrey intoned.

"I swear so to do," Merlin replied.

The speech continued with several more "do you's" and "will you's." It was similar to Arthur's just without the whole "when your father dies and you take the throne" thing. Instead it had things like "do you swear to serve Arthur, advise Arthur, and protect Arthur with your life" blah blah blah. Basically things that Merlin had vowed in his heart to do long before he ever knew Arthur was royalty. Regardless, he said the required "I swear's" in the right places and eventually they were done and a thin, simple coronet signifying royalty was placed on Merlin's brow.

Then Arthur and Merlin stood and faced the crowd.

"People of Camelot, I present Crown Prince Arthur and Prince Merlin."

The room erupted in cheers. The two young princes turned to look at each other and shared a grin before looking at their fathers who stood side by side just as Arthur and Merlin were, and just as Arthur and Merlin would in all the years to come.

That day, Arthur and Merlin became princes and Balinor reclaimed his position as court sorcerer, and together, Uther and he ruled over Camelot during a time of peace that would only be surpassed by Arthur's and Merlin's reign. And many many years later, when Uther's and Balinor's time on the Earth was finished, they both passed into the afterlife within a few days of each other. Leaving their sons to fulfill their own shared destiny.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading, guys! If you don't mind, leave one last review (and if you have any ideas for a sequel, send them my way). Thanks! :)**


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